FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the funds pledged during the London Conference on Afghanistan will be channelled into the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund.

Kim Howells: In total, US$77.5 million has been pledged by the international community to the Government of Afghanistan's Counter Narcotics Trust Fund. This includes US$60.1 million worth of assistance pledged during the London Conference on Afghanistan (31 January to 1 February) by the UK, US, Sweden and Korea.
	The UK commitment of £30 million includes an initial £10 million from the Afghan Drugs Inter-Departmental Unit and £20 million from the Department for International Development.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of Afghan warlords opposed to the Taliban who are involved with the production and trading of narcotics.

Kim Howells: No such estimate has been made. Given the complexity of the situation in Afghanistan, it would not be possible to collect the data necessary to make this assessment.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the proportion of Afghan warlords who have (a) supported and (b) opposed the Taliban.

Kim Howells: The term warlords" is most often used to describe militia commanders, or others exercising influence in the provinces, not appointed by the central Government. The vast majority of warlords opposed the Taliban regime, and many played an active role in the regime's overthrow in 2001, including in some cases by contributing forces to the Northern Alliance.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of warlords in the political order in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The Government assesses that the negative influence of warlords" in Afghanistan's political process is gradually diminishing. Those who chose to embrace the new democratic process were required to cut all links with militia groups before putting themselves forward as candidates at the September 2005 parliamentary and provincial elections. Those who still remain outside the democratic process are finding their influence reduced by nation-wide disarmament programmes and the growing control exercised by centrally-appointed Provincial Governors and Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police forces. But this is a long process—democratic institutions, although now established, are fragile and the political process of resolving violent conflict will take time to have effect, though the Government of Afghanistan is determined to see it through.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights position of Ascension islanders in respect of (a) rights of abode, (b) ownership of property and (c) appeal rights in cases of deportation; and whether rights differ between native-born and immigrant islanders.

Douglas Alexander: There is no indigenous population, or islanders", on Ascension Island. People working and living there do so for the duration of their contracts. None of those individuals currently working and living on Ascension, whether born on the island or not, has the right of abode or the right to own property. The human rights of those currently on Ascension Island are protected by those human rights instruments which have been extended to the island, including the European Convention on Human Rights. Procedures relating to deportation for breach of the immigration rules are governed by the Entry Control Ordinance. There is a right to make representations to the Governor against any deportation order.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the timetable he provided to the Ascension Island Council for the introduction of legislation regarding property, immigration and property rights.

Douglas Alexander: The Government have provided no such timetable to the Ascension Island Council.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on access for civilian aircraft to Wideawake Airfield in Ascension Island; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The agreement between the UK and US Governments relating to Wideawake Airfield, which came into force on 1 October 2003, provides for up to four non-scheduled civil aircraft movements (take-off or landing) per week. This facility has not been used on a regular basis. This is a matter for commercial decision by potential operators.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place in the last 12 months with the US Administration on changes in the Administration of the Ascension Islands.

Douglas Alexander: There has been no change to the basis on which people work and live on Ascension Island. The administration of Ascension Island is a matter for the UK Government and the Ascension Island Administration. The UK has regular contacts with representatives of all organisations based on the island including the appropriate US authorities.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reasons were for the rejection of a desk study into the Ascension Island Fisheries Protection Project; and what estimate was made of the cost of such a study.

Ian Pearson: A desk study on Ascension Island's fish resources was conducted in 1990. Another desk study would not add greatly to the information available from this earlier work (a further study would have cost approximately £30,000) and is not considered an appropriate use of Foreign and Commonwealth Office funds.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the potential revenue from the sale of fishing licences for tuna in the seas around Ascension Island.

Douglas Alexander: Revenue accruing from the sale of fishing licences for Ascension Island was, up until 1 April 2005, combined with that for St. Helena. The figure for 2003–04, the most recent available, was approximately £128,000. Because of the level of uncertainty surrounding both the current state of the stocks of migratory fish in that part of the Atlantic and the intentions of distant water fishing fleets, Ascension Island has not sold any fishing licences since 1 April 2005. It is therefore difficult to estimate the potential revenue from the sale of fishing licences for Ascension Island.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ascension Islanders have reached retirement or the end of their contracts in each of the last 10 years; and how many have been allowed to remain on the island thereafter.

Douglas Alexander: There is no indigenous population, or islanders", on Ascension Island. People working and living there do so for the duration of their contracts. Figures on retirement or termination of contracts are a matter for the individual organisations based on the Island and are not centrally held. A small number, less than 5, have remained on the Island on the expiration of their contract. Their cases are under review.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations took place with Ascension Island User Organisations before the preliminary summit meeting between islanders and officials of Her Majesty's Government.

Douglas Alexander: There is no indigenous population, or islanders", on Ascension Island. People working and living there do so for the duration of their contracts. The Government have regular contacts with representatives of the principle Use organisations as part of their ongoing work in administering Ascension Island.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the legislation to provide a right of abode and a right to own property on Ascension Island; and how much was spent by Her Majesty's Government in providing legal advice in preparation of the legislation.

Douglas Alexander: There are no plans to introduce legislation to develop a right of abode in Ascension Island. The cost of legal advice provided by the Constitutional Adviser on the Overseas Territories amounted to less than £2,500.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library representations he has received from the Ascension Island Council since the end of November 2005.

Douglas Alexander: I have placed a copy of the letter dated 7 December 2005 from Ascension Island Council in the Library of the House.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were (a) the names and (b) grades of the UK officials of Her Majesty's Government in the delegation which visited Ascension Island in November 2005.

Ian Pearson: The Head of Overseas Territories Department, Tony Crombie, a Senior Management Structure officer in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), together with two D6 officers and two B3 officers responsible for Ascension Island in the FCO, and officials from other UK Government Departments, made up the delegation visiting Ascension Island in November 2005.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Economic Study on Ascension Island which was commissioned in September 2005.

Douglas Alexander: A copy of the Economic Study by the Oxford Policy Management Group, which was completed in October 2005, has been placed in the Library of the House.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many new houses have been (a) started and (b) completed by the Ascension Island council since it was established.

Douglas Alexander: The Ascension Island council has approved the construction of four houses which are due for completion in 2006.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had in the last six months on the future of Ascension Island.

Ian Pearson: Ministers and officials have had discussions with a range of interested parties, including Ascension Island councillors and other persons working and living on the Island, over the past six months.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many people have been (a) deported from and (b) required to leave Ascension Island (i) in each of the last five years for which records are available and (ii) since 30 November 2005; and to where they have been deported;
	(2)  how many people have been (a) deported or (b) required to leave Ascension Island and removed to St. Helena (i) in each of the last five years for which records are available and (ii) since 30 November 2005.

Ian Pearson: There is no indigenous population on Ascension Island. People working and living there do so for the duration of their contracts. Employees whose contracts end, and are not renewed, are required by law to leave the Island. Figures are held by employer organisations, and we therefore do not have access to this information. The employment contracts usually place on the employer an obligation to return the employee to a specified location at the end of the contract. Approximately 70 per cent. of those working and living on Ascension Island originate from St. Helena. We are aware of two people being removed from Ascension Island. One was removed to the UK, the other to St. Helena.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what compensation arrangements are in place for small business owners (a) deported from and (b) required to leave Ascension Island following his announcement of 30 November 2005.

Douglas Alexander: The Government made no announcement on 30 November 2005. My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, wrote to Ascension Island councillors on 19 January 2006 to set out the Government's policy. There is no right of abode on Ascension Island. Employees whose contracts end, and are not renewed, are required by law to leave the Island. We have no plans to change this. Those working on the Island are aware of these conditions when they are recruited. There is, therefore, no question of compensation. Almost all the individuals operating the approximately 15 small businesses on the Island are already employed by the main organisations based on Ascension, or the Ascension Island Administration, or are the spouses of these employees. They may therefore continue to remain on the Island as long as the relevant contracts last.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations were undertaken prior to his announcement of 30 November 2005 that the circumstances of inhabitants of Ascension Island were to be altered.

Douglas Alexander: The Government made no announcement on 30 November 2005. There has been no change to the basis on which people work and live on Ascension Island.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what compensation arrangements are in place for individual inhabitants (a) deported from and (b) required to leave Ascension Island following his announcement of 30 November 2005.

Douglas Alexander: The Government made no announcement on 30 November 2005. My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, wrote to Ascension Island Councillors on 19 January 2006 to set out the Government's policy. There is no right of abode on Ascension Island. Employees whose contracts end, and are not renewed, are required by law to leave the Island. Those working on the Island are aware of these conditions when they are recruited. There is, therefore, no question of compensation.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Wideawake Agreement with the United States Government; and what is the current operational status of Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island.

Douglas Alexander: Wideawake Airfield is a military airfield. The 2003 Agreement between the UK and US Governments concerning the use of Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island by civil aircraft not engaged in scheduled international air services provides the basis for non-scheduled civil flights (e.g. charter flights). This facility has not been used on a regular basis.

British Virgin Islands

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's expenditure on internal security and policing was for the British Virgin Islands in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005; and what expenditure is planned for 2006.

Douglas Alexander: The following sums have been spent on policing and internal security in the British Virgin Islands during 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 financial years.
	As the British Virgin Islands also receive further support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through a number of regional initiatives including training/exchange programmes and courses, as well as receiving on-going support from FCO funded advisers, figures for the cross-Territory (regional) support of security initiatives is also included.
	
		£
		
			  FCO funding for the British Virgin Islands Cross-Territory (regional) funding 
		
		
			 2003–04 345,039 1,013,165 
			 2004–05 141,399 687,976 
			 2005–06 8,198 957,045 
		
	
	The above figures do not, however, include local expenditure made at Post through the Governor's Delegated Fund. Figures for 2005–06 are anticipated. Allocations for 2006–07 have not yet been made.
	The 2002–03 figures are not included as they are not immediately available. I will therefore write to my hon. Friend with this information as soon as it becomes available and will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Burma

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government has made of whether (a) Serbia and (b) Montenegro are making arms sales to Burma.

Kim Howells: The Government has not made a formal assessment of possible arms sales by Serbia or Montenegro to Burma. Serbia and Montenegro's Law on Foreign Trade in Weapons, Military Equipment and Dual Use Goods states that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will consider the
	'level of violation and/or respecting of human rights and freedoms in the country of final destination',
	as well as the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports before approving an export licence.

Charles Munyaneza

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what steps (a) were taken (b) are planned by his Department to satisfy itself that Charles Munyaneza has no case to answer under international law on war crimes and genocide;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Chief Prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on the case of Charles Munyaneza.

Ian Pearson: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials discussed the matter with the Office of the Chief prosecutor on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on 27 January and again on 31 January. The ICTR confirmed that it has not issued an indictment relating to Charles Munyaneza and does not intend to do so. The case is also being considered by the UK police. Decisions on whether an individual has a case to answer under UK criminal law are a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Charles Munyaneza

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to implement the international arrest warrant for Charles Munyaneza.

Ian Pearson: Recent media allegations concerning Charles Munyaneza, a Rwandan national, are being investigated by the UK police and Crown Prosecution Service. It would be inappropriate to comment on international arrest procedures while that investigation is ongoing.

China

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for UK security of the reciprocal arrangements made between China and Iran concerning long-term oil supply to China.

Ian Pearson: Iran is the world's fourth largest oil exporter. China imports around 13 per cent. of her oil from Iran. The details of commercial arrangements between China and Iran are a matter for those two countries.
	We consult very closely with China on policy towards Iran. We welcome the agreement reached on 30 January between the Foreign Ministers of the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US concerning Iran's nuclear programme.

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam dated 15 March 2005, on behalf of Mary Stevenage, regarding human rights abuses in Cuba.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 2 February 2006
	Although a reply was prepared to the hon. Member's letter, for reasons we are looking into, it does not appear to have been issued. This has now been rectified and a response was sent on 1 February.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 10 August 2005 from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, concerning the export of handcuffs.

Kim Howells: I am sorry that my right hon. Friend has not had a reply to her letter. An administrative error meant that the letter referred to was not received in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office until 24 January 2006. A reply will be sent shortly.

Dr. Oscar Biscet

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the situation of Dr. Oscar Biscet, imprisoned in Cuba; and what representations he has made to the government of Cuba on Dr. Biscet's case.

Douglas Alexander: We regularly receive expressions of concern about Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet's situation. We are very concerned about his situation, particularly the effect of the severe conditions of his confinement on his health. Our Embassy in Havana continues to monitor Dr. Biscet's case and maintains close contact with his supporters and family. Most recently, a member of our embassy staff met his wife in December 2005. The Government consider his imprisonment to be a violation of his civil and political freedoms, and in particular his freedom of expression as recognised in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right
	'to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers'.
	We regularly raise the situation of all political prisoners in Cuba with Cuban authorities both in London and Havana, and call for their immediate release. During our presidency of the EU we issued a number of statements reiterating this message. The Minister responsible for relations with Cuba, Lord Triesman most recently raised this issue with the Cuban Ambassador on 8 November 2005 at the APPG Cuba meeting.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings of the (a) Joint Committee (EC-Kingdom of Cambodia), (b) Joint Committee (EEC-China) and (c) Joint Committee (EEC-India) have taken place during the UK presidency of the EU; who presided over each meeting; which other UK representatives were present; what provisions were made for representation of the devolved Governments; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: There was no EC-Cambodia Joint Committee during the UK presidency. The EC-India Joint Commission met on 24–25 October 2005. The UK was represented by officials from the British high commission in Delhi. EC-China Joint Committee met on 4 November 2005. There was no UK representation at this meeting. Commission officials presided over both meetings.
	The UK Government takes into account the views and interests of the devolved administrations when formulating the UK's policy position on all EU and international issues which touch upon devolved matters. Provision for attendance at EU meetings by Ministers and officials of the devolved administrations is set out in paragraphs 4.12–15 of the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Union Policy Issues (part of the Memorandum of Understanding between devolved Ministers and the UK Government), a copy of which is available at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/devolution/pubs/odpm_dev_600629.pdf
	Ministers from the devolved administrations have attended and do attend councils, by agreement with the lead Whitehall Minister.

European Anti-fraud Office

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are being discussed in the EU to develop the European Anti-Fraud Office in preparation for future transformation into the European Public Prosecutor, as referred to in OJ C122, volume 48, 20 May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Official Journal C122, volume 48, 20 May 2005 refers to the European Anti-Fraud Office's June 2003-July 2004 Activity Report. It contains a reference to the potential creation of a European Public Prosecutor's Office under the European Constitutional Treaty. Under the terms of the Treaty, the creation of a European Public Prosecutor would not be automatic, as it would first require the consent of every member state.
	No measures are currently under discussion to prepare for a European Public Prosecutor. The UK has made it clear that it remains unconvinced of the need for an EPP, whether under the Constitutional Treaty or the current treaties.

Hamas

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of Hamas' victory in the recent elections to the Palestinian Legislature for security in the region.

Kim Howells: Following its meeting on 30 January, the Quartet (UN, EU, US and Russia) acknowledged the positive role of the Palestinian Authority security forces in helping maintain order during the recent elections. It expressed its view that progress on further consolidation, accountability and reform remains an important task. We support this position.
	Hamas now has a choice to make between the path of democracy and the path of violence. The onus is on Hamas to change their approach to Israel, renounce violence and disarm. We are watching developments closely and taking stock of the situation.

Interpal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the activities of Interpal; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the issue with his Israeli counterpart most recently in July 2005 and I have dealt with parliamentary correspondence on Interpal. In these discussions, it was noted that, following allegations of connections to Hamas, the Charity Commission had investigated Interpal on several occasions and had found insufficient evidence to support taking action against Interpal.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which (a) UK and (b) EU banks have ceased business with Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We are not aware that any UK or EU banks have recently ceased business with Iran. ABN Amro reportedly closed its offices in Iran in October 2004.
	According to media reports, UBS said on 22 January that it would no longer deal with individuals, companies or state institutions in Iran, and Credit Suisse Group said on 23 January that it would stop new business with Iran.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what fora are available to the EU to express its concerns about human rights in Iran to the Iranian Government; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Iran's poor human rights record is a long-standing concern of the EU and an important factor in shaping EU policy towards Iran.
	During the UK presidency, the EU issued public statements and made representations to the Iranian authorities about human rights violations on more than 15 occasions.
	The EU should also be able to discuss human rights concerns within the framework of the EU/Iran Comprehensive Dialogue, established in 1998, and the EU/Iran Human Rights Dialogue, established in 2002. Regrettably, however, these dialogues have not taken place since April 2003 and June 2004 respectively, despite the efforts of successive EU presidencies and the European Commission at both ministerial and official level.
	The EU also voices its concerns in international fora. All EU member states co-sponsored the resolution on human rights in Iran adopted by UN General Assembly in December 2005.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what conditions negotiations on the EU-Iran Trade and Co-operation and Political Dialogue Agreements would resume; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The EU has not taken forward negotiations on the draft EU-Iran Trade and Co-operation Agreement or the draft EU/Iran Political Dialogue Agreement since August 2005 when Iran unilaterally decided to resume uranium conversion activities, in violation of its commitments to the E3/EU and contrary to requests in the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions.
	The EU agreed at the 16 December European Council that whether the EU's long-term relationship with Iran improves or deteriorates will depend on progress by Iran in the EU's areas of concern. These include Iran's attitude towards terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Iran's approach to the Middle East Peace Process, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and regional issues.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the incidence of corruption in reconstruction projects in Iraq.

Kim Howells: There have been several comprehensive assessments of financial management of the Iraqi reconstruction effort, the most prominent of which is the series of reports published by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Given concerns about levels of corruption in Iraq generally, the Government does not fund Iraqi institutions directly. All UK reconstruction programmes are monitored continuously, and where we have had any financial or management concerns we have taken action to address them.
	The UK is committed to working with the Iraqi Government, alongside the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other donors, to improve accountability and transparency in Iraq's public finances. Iraq is making progress in developing its anti-corruption institutions. These now include a Board of Supreme Audit, Inspector Generals resident in each Ministry and a Commission for Public Integrity, which can refer cases to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq. In addition, our efforts include encouraging Iraq to adopt international legal frameworks and standards in natural resource management, including the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the abduction and detention incommunicado of (a) Qutaiba Hamdani, (b) Uday Nasser (c) Badr, (d) Yasser Hamad and (e) Firaz Imad in Iraq in February 2004.

Kim Howells: In March 2004, our Representative to the United Nations in Geneva received a copy of a letter from the UN Special Rapporteur for Torture, Mr. Van Boven, which referred to those named in the question. The only other representations we are aware of on behalf of these individuals are those from the hon. Member himself.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 122W, on Iraq, whether he has (a) requested and (b) received information from (i) UK officials, (ii) UK armed service personnel and (iii) Iraqi official sources relating to the whereabouts of Mr. Quitaba Hamdani, Mr. Uday Nasser Badr, Mr. Yasser Hamad and Mr. Firaz Imad referred to in the letter of 12 March 2004 from Mr. van Boven, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Kim Howells: We have requested information about action taken by UK and US officials at the time of the van Boven letter. We have not approached the UK military or Iraqi officials.
	Any reply to the Special Rapporteur's letter would have been sent by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which was dissolved at the end of June 2004. A search of the CPA's permanent records has taken place without finding the Special Rapporteur's letter or any reply.
	At the time of Mr. van Boven's letter there was a great deal of militia activity of the type mentioned in his letter and many reports from different sources urging that they should be investigated. In so far as it was possible in each case full investigations were undertaken and attempts made to stop illegal detention.

Ivory Coast

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in the Ivory Coast.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 26 January 2006, Official Report, columns 2240241W. Talks continue in New York on targeted UN sanctions against individuals blocking the peace process. The UK strongly supports their imposition.

Kazakhstan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Kazakhstan on bringing its laws and practices on due process and freedom of expression into line with international standards.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 2 February 2006
	Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and recognised under international law. It is also vital to the development of a modern society. Both bilaterally and alongside our EU partners we reminded the Kazakh Government throughout 2005 that the credibility of their bid for the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2009 rests on the soundness of their commitment to continue political reforms and comply fully with all OSCE undertakings and standards, which include those on freedom of expression. On 10 and 17 November 2005 the UK as presidency of the EU, issued statements expressing deep concern about reported harassment of opposition parties and restrictions on freedom of the media, particularly with regard to printing and distribution and circulation seizures of independent newspapers during the presidential election campaign. These concerns were reflected again in the EU presidency statement which the UK issued immediately following the presidential elections in December 2005.
	Kazakhstan's ratification of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in December 2005 and the release of opposition leader Galymzhan Zhakianov in January 2006 are two recent positive steps taken by the Kazakh authorities in relation to due process and freedom of expression. The EU OSCE statement on 19 January 2006 welcoming his release reiterated calls for Kazakhstan to respect its international commitments on ensuring freedom of expression.
	When he met Foreign Minister Tokayev following the presentation of his credentials on 9 January, our newly accredited ambassador to Kazakhstan, Paul Brummell, assured the Foreign Minister of the readiness of the British Government to work with Kazakhstan to promote the human rights agenda across its whole spectrum. In the current financial year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has invested approximately 20,000 in projects relating to freedom of expression, including legal support for independent media, the introduction of jury trials and training of judges.
	We will continue to raise, both bilaterally and with our EU partners, the importance of freedom of expression in Kazakhstan and look for opportunities to provide suitable assistance.

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of the Small Grants Scheme in Madagascar.

Ian Pearson: The Small Grants Scheme in Madagascar was discontinued when the British embassy closed in August 2005.

Middle East Peace Process

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Iran's approach to the Middle East Peace Process.

Kim Howells: We have long-standing concerns that groups seeking to undermine the Middle East Peace Process through violence draw support from inside Iran. We have called on Iran to renounce all links to groups using terror and violence, and support a solution to the Palestinian question based on the principle of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. The EU has said that progress in its relations with Iran will depend on action by Iran to address the EU's political concerns, including in the areas of Iran's approach to terrorism and its attitude to the Middle East Peace Process.
	President Ahmadinejad's recent comments calling for Israel to be 'wiped from the map' were unacceptable. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has condemned them unreservedly. The Palestinian Authority has also rejected them and said that the focus should be on adding Palestine to the map, next to Israel.

Nepal

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the recent reports of human rights violations in Nepal.

Kim Howells: The UK has made repeated statements deploring human rights violations by both the Nepalese security forces and the Maoists. We have been deeply troubled by the Maoists' decision to end their ceasefire and by their return to violence. In January 2006 the Maoists carried out over 40 bomb attacks, 350 kidnappings, and engaged in 70 clashes with security forces. This has resulted in large numbers of deaths and injuries amongst the royal Nepalese Army, the police and civilians. We have also been gravely concerned by human rights abuses carried out by the security forces and by the Government's infringements of civil liberties and democratic freedoms, and by the arrest of a large number of political party leaders and activists.
	In response to events in January, the UK has joined the EU in issuing a statement available at:
	http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP_Statements/January/2701Nepal.html
	in which we said:
	The EU strongly condemns the use of force to suppress the Nepalese people's exercise of fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. The EU calls upon the King, the Government of Nepal and the Security Forces to immediately restore all political and civil liberties in accordance with Nepal's international obligations, immediately release all political prisoners and human rights defenders, and ensure that political and civil rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, can be exercised peacefully. The EU strongly condemns the resumption of Maoist violence, including the recent murder of an election candidate. The EU underlines the obligation of all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law, including by way of protecting civilians and facilitating the access of humanitarian organisations seeking to aid affected persons.

Nepal

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department (a) is giving and (b) plans to give to Nepalese (i) human rights agencies and (ii) aid organisations in (A) India and (B) the United Kingdom to assist the restoration of constitutional democracy in Nepal.

Kim Howells: The UK does not support or plan to support any Nepalese human rights agencies or aid organisations in India or the UK to assist the restoration of constitutional democracy in Nepal.
	However, the UK has supported a number of civil society and human rights organisations in Nepal on a wide range of issues for several years. As part of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) Nepal strategy, the UK has funded several local and international organisations since 2002. These have included the Nepalese National Human Rights Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The largest single contribution to any such organisation has been to the UN human rights monitoring operation under the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to which we have contributed over 800,000. The GCPP also funds the Nepalese human rights non-governmental organisation (NGO) called Advocacy Forum. The Embassy's Small Grants Scheme also funds a number of small indigenous NGO groups. Our assessment is that we will continue to need to strengthen civil society and human rights organisations for the foreseeable future and we are intending to maintain our support under the GCPP.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not fund any aid organisations but the Department for International Development runs a bilateral aid programme to Nepal worth 36 million in 200506.

Nepal

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Nepal about (a) detention of political leaders, (b) suppression of the media and (c) human rights violations.

Kim Howells: Following the arrest of party leaders, political activists, members of civil society and human rights defenders on 19 and 20 January, I summoned the Nepalese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to explain his government's actions to senior FCO officials. I urged the Government of Nepal to release all of the political prisoners detained in the most recent round up of activists and party leaders.
	I also issued a statement in which I said,
	'The UK is extremely concerned by the King's actions, and we can see no grounds for these anti-democratic measures. I call on the King urgently to release those arrested, and to find ways to resume dialogue with the political parties.'
	The full text is available at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename= OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid= 1007029391638a=KArticleaid=1136906017567%20year= 2006month=20060101date=20060119.
	The UK joined EU partners in issuing a statement, available at:
	http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP_Statements/January/2701Nepal.html
	expressing concern about the most recent round of arrests and of the infringements on human rights and democratic freedoms. In that statement we called on the King, the Government of Nepal and the security forces to immediately restore all political and civil liberties, release political prisoners and human rights defenders, and ensure that political and civil rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, can be exercised peacefully.
	We are encouraged to note that some of the party leaders who were detained have now been released. But there are approximately 250 political activists still in detention in Kathmandu and another 250 outside. This includes one of the top party leaders who remains under house arrest.
	The UK has made a number of representations to the Government of Nepal about restrictions on the media and abuses of human rights over the last year. During the UK's presidency of the EU, we led a senior officials level EU Troika visit to Nepal, in which we raised these issues and publicly urged the government and security forces to respect human rights and to use security legislation with utmost caution. In response to the arrests in January the EU demarched the Nepalese Foreign Minister on 27 January calling for the immediate release of recently detained political prisoners.

Nigeria

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Nigerian Government about recent attacks on oil installations and oil workers in the Niger Delta; and what assistance the UK Government are providing.

Ian Pearson: We have been in close contact with the Nigerian Government about recent attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta, including the kidnapping of a Briton and three other expatriates on 11 January. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke personally to President Obasanjo of Nigeria on 21 January. We were delighted at the hostages' safe release on 30 January. More broadly, we maintain a close dialogue with the Nigerian federal and state authorities on security and development in the Niger Delta, which includes support for Nigeria's extractive industries transparency initiative and other measures to improve accountability and governance.

Non-proliferation Treaty

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to strengthen the non-proliferation treaty in accordance with the December 2003 European Union strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Council of the European Union's Six-monthly Progress Report on the implementation of Chapter III of the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction contains comprehensive details of steps being undertaken to strengthen the non-proliferation treaty. The report is published on the Council of the European Union's website at:
	http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/06/st05/st05279. en06.pdf

Overseas Territories

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make each of the overseas territories eligible for EU and UK funding for infrastructure development to enhance resilience against natural and man-made disasters; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	Funding for infrastructure development features prominently in both DFID and EU programmes to support the Overseas Territories. We have worked closely with the EU on a number of projects. Notable recent examples include new airports on Montserrat, Anguilla and Grand Turk and road infrastructure on Providenciales. DFID is also providing funding for an airport on St Helena to maintain access after the island's passenger and supply ship reaches the end of her working life in 2010. On Pitcairn, work to pave the Hill of Difficulty, the only access road from the harbour to the main settlement of Adamstown, and make essential repairs to the jetty and slipway was completed during 2005. In addition we are planning to fund jointly with the EU repairs to the harbour wall on Tristan da Cunha and the construction of a breakwater on Pitcairn.
	DFID's programmes focus on those countries which still need development assistance along the path to self-sufficiency. We would normally look to the wealthier Overseas Territories to finance their priorities for capital expenditure from their own resources, including under normal commercial borrowing terms. The EU also largely focuses its development programmes on those Overseas Countries and Territories (OTC)s whose economic development is least advanced. Similarly, we would not expect EU grant funding for infrastructure to be available for those OCTs with ready access to commercial borrowing.

Overseas Territories

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely (a) medium-term and (b) long-term impact of climate change on the vulnerability to natural disasters of each of the overseas territories; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: A Department for International Development (DFID) commissioned report by the Tyndall Centre called the Impacts of Global Climate Change on the UK Overseas Territories (OTs) found that long-term weather characteristics are likely to change. It concluded that regional warming in the Caribbean could be as much as 6 degrees by 2100, and slightly less in the South Atlantic and Pitcairn.
	The report identified common areas of concern as many OTs share similar characteristics. In particular, many are islands with populations reliant on a fragile natural resource base. The effects of climate change include severe tropical storms and hurricanes in the Caribbean and likely increases in the severity and frequency of low rainfall events and droughts in all areas. Global sea level rise is now projected to be as much as 0.9 meters by 2100 and in the medium-term raised sea levels will exacerbate the effects of more severe storms, directly affecting coastal infrastructure and tourism.
	On 30 January the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published the book 'Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change'. Although not specifically directed at the impacts of climate change on OTs, the book discusses many of the potential impacts that OTs can expect to see in the future, such as degradation of marine ecosystems and increases in global sea levels.
	As the international community makes efforts to tackle this global problem, the UK is keen to raise awareness in OTs of the impacts of climate change on their societies. For this reason the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and DEFRA have been working together to encourage OTs to be part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. The UK will build on this and share its knowledge and experiences through the UN's Inter-Governmental Panel Working Group looking at impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

Overseas Territories

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's expenditure on internal security and policing was for each of the overseas territories in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005; and what expenditure is planned for 2006.

Douglas Alexander: The following table details recorded expenditure for internal security and policing in each of the overseas territories during the financial years 200304 and 200405. The 200506 figures are anticipated. Allocations have not yet been made for the next financial year. As a number of cross-territory (regional) policing and security initiatives are supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, these figures are also included. The following table does not, however, record local expenditure at post which may have been supported through the Governors'/Administrators' delegated funds.
	Neither the British Indian Ocean territory nor the sovereign based areas of Cyprus have been included in the table as this funding is provided by the Ministry of Defence.
	
		
		
			 Territory 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Anguilla 148,629 152,327 361,879 
			 Ascension Island 101,000 0 0 
			 Bermuda 0 0 0 
			 British Virgin Islands 345,039 141,399 8,198 
			 Cayman Islands 0 20,843 45,000 
			 Falkland Islands 6,326 0 0 
			 Gibraltar 110,000 125,000 45,000 
			 Montserrat 130,117 115,468 13,321 
			 Pitcairn (1)170,000 175,995 154,460 
			 South Georgia 0 0 0 
			 St. Helena 30,577 253,702 263,000 
			 Tristan da Cunha 0 20,546 0 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 15,900 122,670 32,000 
			 Cross territory (regional) funding 1,013,165 687,976 957,045 
			 Total 2,070,753 1,815,926 1,879,903 
		
	
	(1) Estimate
	The figures for 200203 are not included as they are not immediately available. I will therefore write to my hon. Friend with this information as soon as it becomes available and will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Overseas Territories

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to involve local communities and Overseas Territories' Governments in decisions on policing and security strategies and resourcing in each of the Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The precise constitutional arrangements for policing and internal security differ from Territory to Territory. But a common thread is that law and order is, rightly, a matter of concern for the whole community. Governors routinely discuss matters relating to internal security, including policing, with their Territory's Government. It is the Territories' Government that apportions resources for the staffing and operations of the range of government activities, including policing. The Overseas Territories Law Enforcement Adviser, based in Miami, and other experts as appropriate, provide professional advice to Overseas Territories Governments and law enforcement agencies when necessary.

Overseas Territories

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was contributed by (a) his Department and (b) Overseas Territories' Governments towards policing and internal security in each of the Territories for each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The following table details funding by both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Overseas Territory Governments on policing and internal security during the past three years. The information on Territory Government spending is not always directly comparable as there are differences in the way that they apportion internal security resourcing.
	
		
		
			  2003 or 200304 2004 or 200405 2005 or 200506 
			 Territory Local government FCO Local government FCO Local government FCO 
		
		
			 Anguilla(2) 837,582 148,629 932,070 152,327 1,085,286 361,879 
			 Ascension Island 168,138 101,000 176,317 0 n/a 0 
			 Bermuda(2) 25,945,348 0 29,115,042 0 29,821,054 0 
			 British Virgin Islands(2) 5,425,880 345,039 5,439,074 141,399 5,738,419 8,198 
			 Cayman Islands 11,500,000 0 13,500,00 20,843 21,700,000 45,000 
			 Falkland Islands 5,292,526 6,326 5,242,118 0 n/a 0 
			 Gibraltar 8,600,000 110,000 8,400,000 125,000 n/a 45,000 
			 Montserrat(2) 874,000 130,117 895,000 115,468 1,048,000 13,321 
			 Pitcairn 0 (3)170,000 0 175,995 0 154,460 
			 South Georgia(2) 1,360,000 0 1,448,000 0 1,597,000 0 
			 St Helena 450,845 30,577 509,201 253,702 649,971 263,000 
			 Tristan da Cunha(2) 9,802 0 11,136 20,546 9,801 0 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 4,441,661 15,900 4,601,270 122,670 5,390,482 32,000 
			 Cross-territory (regional) FCO funding 0 1,013,165 0 687,976 0 957,045 
		
	
	(2) Indicates that the Territory Government has provided financial data for a financial year from January to December.
	(3) Estimate.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave him today (UIN 47097 and UIN 47101) to his questions numbered 47097 and 47101 for further information on the FCO's support for internal security and policing.

Palestinian Election

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority following the recent Palestinian legislative elections.

Kim Howells: We welcome the fact that the Rafah border crossing, with the help of the EU Border Assistance Mission, remained open in the period leading up to and beyond the Palestinian Legislative Council elections. However, we are concerned that the Kami crossing in the northern Gaza Strip has been closed since 15 January; that the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported an increase in the number of obstacles to movement in the West Bank; and that the deadline for the introduction of truck convoys between Gaza and the West Bank by 15 January was missed.
	We call upon Israel to act on its commitments in the Movement and Access agreement and also call upon the new Palestinian Government to commit itself to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap.

Palestinian Election

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect of the election victory of Hamas on the UK's relations with the Palestinian Authority.

Kim Howells: Our policy is clear that democracy means accepting the results of elections, provided they are free and fair. The Palestinian Legislative Council elections are not an exception to this principle.
	On 30 January the Quartet (UN, US, EU and Russia) and the EU at the General Affairs and External Relations Council reiterated their view that there is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic state. A two-state solution to the conflict requires all participants in the democratic process to renounce violence and terror, accept Israel's right to exist, and disarm, as outlined in the Roadmap. We support this approach.
	Hamas now has a choice to make between the path of democracy and the path of violence. The onus is on Hamas to change, and fundamentally they have to change their approach to Israel. We are watching developments closely and taking stock of the situation.

Palestinian Election

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Lebanese counterpart regarding Hamas's victory in the recent Palestinian elections.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had the opportunity to discuss Hamas' victory at last week's Palestinian elections with his Lebanese counterpart.

Rendition

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he and (b) his officials were first informed of the existence of United States interrogation centres in third countries.

Jack Straw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him today (UIN 45312).

Rendition

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his written statement of 20 January 2006, Official Report, columns 3738WS, on rendition allegations (inquiries), for what reasons the Government declined in 1998 the two requests from the US Administration to refuel flights carrying detainees to the US; and where the flights originated in each case.

Jack Straw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield Hallam (Mr. Clegg) today (U1N 45312).

Road Map

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the policy of Hamas towards the Palestinian Authority's commitments under the Road Map, with particular reference to the commitment to seek to curtail terrorism; what steps he plans to take to promote the Authority's adherence to the Road Map following the elections for the Legislative Council; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Government remain committed towards making progress against the Roadmap.
	On the 30 January the Quartet (UN, EU, US and Russia) reiterated its view that all members of a future Palestinian Government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. We urge both parties to respect their existing agreements, including on movement and access. We support this approach.
	Hamas now has a choice to make between the path of democracy and the path of violence. The onus is on Hamas to change their approach to Israel, renounce violence and disarm.

UN Mechanisms (Gaza)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 1704W, on Israel, when Sir Emyr Jones-Parry will be making his next statement at the United Nations Security Council open consultations; what other United Nations mechanisms are available to the UK for raising this matter; and if he will make a statement on Lieutenant General Halutz's response to the Government's concerns about low flying aircraft over Gaza.

Kim Howells: We are concerned by Lt. Gen. Halutz's comment that the Israeli Air Force will continue to conduct operations including low-flying aircraft over the Gaza Strip. We will continue to call upon Israel to act in accordance with international law and to review its policy of collective punishment.
	The British ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Sir Emyr Jones-Parry, raised this issue with the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs on 31 January. She confirmed that this is an issue that the UN is aware of and that they are currently discussing these actions with the UN Relief and Works Agency. We will continue to follow this situation closely. We will also raise this issue with the Government of Israel.

United States

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) location of interrogation centres operated by the United States Administration;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of US compliance with international human rights laws in the operation of its interrogation centres;
	(3)  whether a UK (a) citizen and (b) resident has been subject to an international rendition by the United States since 1995.

Jack Straw: The Government's efforts to counter the threat of international terrorism must, by their nature, involve a degree of confidentiality. If we are successfully to detect and disrupt terrorist plans and activity, we must protect our sources and methods. We must also protect our counter-terrorism, and wider intelligence, relationships with key allies, including the United States, which are essential to the security of our citizens.
	At the same time, any Government in a democratic society should be as open as it can be without jeopardising security. This principle guides our counter-terrorism policy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Report of 2005 made clear our view that respect for human rights is vital, not least for long-term success in the fight against terrorism.
	Over the last few weeks, the Government have been as open as possible with the House. Ministers have given a number of oral and written answers to hon. and right hon. Members in connection with extraordinary rendition. I have also responded to letters from hon. and right hon. Members, and issued two written ministerial statements. I have informed and updated the House as far as possible within the constraints described above, I shall continue to do so.
	There is a great deal of information on the work of the intelligence and security agencies which cannot be divulged publicly. Because of this, and other special circumstances relating to the work of the agencies, Parliament established the Intelligence and Security Committee; much information is provided to this committee in confidence.
	We have no evidence that the United States Government has rendered any detainee through UK territory or airspace (including the overseas territories) during the present United States Administration (i.e. since January 2001), and we are clear that it would not do so without our permission.
	US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement of 5 December made clear that the US Government has for decades rendered terrorist suspects from one country to another, and set out the basis on which it does so. Except in so far as UK responsibilities or obligations are engaged by such renditions (for example, because a detainee passes through UK territory), this is not a matter for the UK Government. Like any other country, the UK can only be responsible for compliance with its own legal obligations and responsibilities. My written ministerial statement of 20 January summarised what we know of renditions through UK territory or airspace since May 1997. It is a matter of public record that a number of UK citizens, and non-UK citizens formerly resident in the UK, have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay (whence all the UK citizens have since been returned to the UK). We are not aware that any other UK citizens have been the subject of an international rendition since 1995. Given the open nature of our society, however, with huge flows of foreigners into and out of the UK, we cannot be sure whether any other non-UK citizens formerly resident in the UK have subsequently been the subject of international rendition.
	It is also a matter of public record that the US Government has operated facilities in which terrorist suspects may be detained and questioned in Afghanistan since 2001, at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 and in Iraq since 2003.
	I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of my reply to a letter from the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague).

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Fair Trade Fortnight

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps are being taken to mark Fair Trade Fortnight in the House.

Nick Harvey: As in previous years, the Refreshment Department will mark the Fairtrade Fortnight (619 March 2006) by running a special promotion of Fairtrade goods throughout the House of Commons cafeterias. In addition to those Fairtrade products always availablecoffee, tea, chocolate, snack bars and, most recently, sugara wider range of biscuits, dried fruits, snack bars and fruit juices will be promoted under the Fairtrade Foundation's banner, making Fairtrade your habit. The Department has also secured a consignment of Fairtrade bananas and pineapples, which will be offered during the fortnight.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what total sum has been received by the House for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of operation.

Nick Harvey: The House has not made charges for the release of information in the first year of operation of the Act.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to meet representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo as head of the African Union.

Hilary Benn: The new chair of the African Union is President Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo.
	While I do not have any immediate plans to meet President Sassou-Nguesso or his representatives, officials from both DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are in regular contact with members of the Republic of Congo Government and are seeking to establish suitable senior level meetings at the earliest opportunity.

Ethiopian Women (Fistulas)

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding he has allocated in 200506 to treat women in Ethiopia with open fistulas; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: I have not allocated any funds specifically for this purpose. DFID's approach is to provide support to improving health services so that care for patients can be improved.

Fair Trade Produce

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of his Department's catering budget was spent on fair trade produce in the last period for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: Precise figures are not available, but our contracted catering service providers estimate that in the current financial year 200506, approximately 70,000, or 20 per cent. of total expenditure on food, drink, etc, was spent on Fairtrade items.

Fair Trade Produce

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on the procurement of fair trade produce for consumption on its premises.

Gareth Thomas: It is DFID's policy that all hot and cold beverages served within the Department are sourced from Fair Trade sources. In addition, our in-house caterer actively promotes and uses Fair Trade products wherever possible, including fruit, confectionery and disposable cups, etc.

Government Accountability

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action the Government are taking to support (a) parliaments in African countries and (b) the Pan-African Parliament (i) to hold their governments to account and (ii) to improve the effectiveness of public expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The purpose of DFID support to African parliaments is to help them to hold their governments to account, monitor public expenditure and represent constituency and public interest.
	In Kenya, DFID is working with parliamentary committees such as the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Investments Committee to strengthen their oversight of public resource management and expenditure. We are also supporting the Kenyan National Assembly to develop effective information, research and legal services. Our support for a new library will help Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Committees to scrutinise the executive more effectively. Similarly, in Malawi, DFID is providing support to the national parliament to monitor state spending, the budget and taxation. In Nigeria, Tanzania and Sierra Leone, DFID is working jointly with USAID and an international non-government organisation, National Democratic Institute, to strengthen parliamentary committees in these countries. In Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia, we are developing capacity building programmes for parliaments. DFID is also supporting the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank, which supports African parliaments to network and learn from each other.
	The Pan Africa Parliament is a young organisation. It is an advisory and consultative body. It agreed its first forward plans at the end of 2005. European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) have asked for DFID support for the parliament. This is currently under consideration.

Hamas

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of Hamas's success in the recent elections to the Palestinian Legislature on UK aid to the Palestinian territories.

Hilary Benn: This is a time of considerable political change in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Government fully support the recent statements by the Quartet and the European Union on 30 January. We also welcome President Abbas' affirmation that the Palestinian Authority is committed to the Roadmap, to previous agreements and obligations between the parties, and to a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Government will continue to monitor the situation carefully in close co-ordination with the EU and other partners. We support the Quartet in urging measures to facilitate the work of the current caretaker government to stabilise public finances.

Jewish Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's diversity policy and practice is overseen by a diversity manager, based in the human resources division.
	DFID does not organise official celebrations for the festivals of any religion. The DFID 'Policy on Religious Observance' is available on the Department's intranet; I have also arranged for copies of this document to be deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Kenya

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the decision to grant a loan from the World Bank to the government of Kenya; and what representations his Department made concerning this decision.

Hilary Benn: DFID Kenya supported the World Bank's Reform and Capacity Building Project loan which is focused on public financial management reform and public sector reform. DFID has been closely involved in the design and development of the programme and are supporting complementary public financial management and public sector reform work.
	High-level corruption has long been a feature of Kenyan life and the World Bank and DFID remain very concerned, particularly about the recent corruption allegations by the exiled former anti-corruption official, John Githongo. President Kibaki's Government was elected in 2002 on a zero-tolerance of corruption ticket. It is for Kenyans to decide whether they have lived up to this promise. It is for us to decide whether our assistance can be effective in bringing this about.
	Mr. Githongo's report is serious and credible. The Kenyan Government now have a unique opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to implement the recently announced ethical code for Ministers. Swift and determined actions by Ministers and others named in the report would send an important signal of commitment to fighting corruption to the people of Kenya, private investors, and the international community. For example, the unprecedented resignation of the Minister of Finance on 1 February, will allow the allegations against him and his Ministry to be fully investigated.
	Mr. Wolfowitz has made it very clear to me that he has raised the bar for project approval in corrupt environments. The World Bank has an integrity team looking at their entire portfolio in Kenya. Like us, the World Bank will not go ahead with any project until they are satisfied that the environment is acceptable and that they can account for the funds. Consequently they have decided to delay their support to projects planned in HIV/AIDS, roads, education, and the financial sector, where some concerns are still to be resolved. Clearly the environment is not yet right for their direct budget support either.
	At the same time, the international community cannot just call for the highest standards from the sidelines. We have a duty to help the Government of Kenya and the Kenyan people to improve accounting systems to reduce the opportunities for misuse and corruption. The World Bank loan aims specifically to strengthen the very systems that underpin clean and efficient government; transparent, accountable, and responsive budgetary systems and effective public service. Supporting Government systems that reduce the opportunities for corruption is the only way to ensure that all Government of Kenya spending through this and future administrations delivers for its people.

Palestinian Authority

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary, Department for International Development what measures his Department has in place to maintain accountability for funds transferred from the UK and the European Union for assistance in the Palestinian Authority; and whether additional measures have been introduced following the increase in monetary aid at the G8 summit.

Hilary Benn: Both UK and European Union budget support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) is conditional on the achievement of specific benchmarks, intended to ensure value for money and the legitimate use of taxpayers' funds. They cover audit and accounting as well as issues such as pension reform, the wage bill and budget processes. The benchmarks require that the PA submit its annual financial statements to the Palestinian Legislative Council and be independently audited.
	DFID, along with the International Monetary Fund and other donors that provide budget support through a World Bank Public Financial Management Reform Trust Fund, undertake twice-yearly reviews of the PA's progress against agreed benchmarks and maintain close contact with the PA at all times. Other forms of DFID assistance to the Palestinian people are channelled through organisations whose accounts are independently audited. All trust fund donors, including the UK, decided in December 2005 to hold back budget support payments due to the Palestinian Authority following the failure of the Palestinian administration at the time to meet agreed benchmarks, notably on pension reforms, the wage bill and external audit.
	The agreement reached at the G8 Summit was to support the Quartet Special Envoy for Disengagement, Mr James Wolfensohn, in his intention to stimulate a global financial contribution of up to $3 billion per year over the coming three years. At the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting in December, it was agreed by the international community that a pledging conference could take place in spring 2006, provided that progress had been made on political and economic issues.
	This is a time of considerable political change in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Government fully support the recent statements by the Quartet and the European Union on 30 January. We also welcome President Abbas' affirmation that the Palestinian Authority is committed to the Roadmap, previous agreements and obligations between the parties, and a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully in close co-ordination with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the EU and other partners.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps the Government has taken with (a) UN partners, (b) EU Governments, (c) the US Administration and (d) other donor Governments to ensure comprehensive sexuality education remains part of HIV prevention programmes;
	(2)  what steps the Government has taken with (a) UN partners, (b) EU Governments, (c) the US Administration and (d) other donor Governments to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health supplies, including condoms, remains part of global HIV programming;
	(3)  what steps the Government has taken with (a) UN partners, (b) EU Governments, (c) the US Administration and (d) other donor Governments to ensure the linkage between sexual and reproductive health and HIV information and services is promoted as part of HIV programming;
	(4)  what steps the Government is taking to raise the profile of linked sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV/AIDS funding, policies and services to combat HIV/AIDS at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session 2006.

Gareth Thomas: The UK uses every opportunity to promote the scaling up of comprehensive and evidence based HIV programming. We know that unprotected sex is the most common cause of infection, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide less than one in five people have access to basic HIV prevention services (including sexual and reproductive health services). This prevention gap is fuelling the spread of HIV. Improving access to a comprehensive range of effective HIV prevention information, services and supplies including sex education for young people and condoms for all those who are sexually active, is therefore important and this is what our programmes supports.
	The UK led the support for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) prevention policy Intensifying HIV prevention at its June 2005 Programme Coordination Board, which I attended. This policy clearly emphasises the importance of evidence-informed prevention and we took the opportunity in negotiating and agreeing this policy to engage in dialogue with UN partners, European Governments, the US Administration and other donor Governments on the importance of comprehensive sexuality education, linking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV programmes and access to SRH supplies including female condoms.
	Building on this, as EU president, we steered and secured agreement on the first EU wide policy Statement on HIV Prevention launched on World AIDS day 2005. This affirms the commitment of all 25 European member states to comprehensive and evidence based HIV prevention programming including:
	Universal access to SRH health information and services
	Reliable access to essential SRH supplies including condoms
	Universal access to education and life skills and sexuality education
	Action to confront and address gender-based violence
	We are co-chairing the Universal Access steering group with UNAIDS. This group is helping to ensure that the commitments made at Gleneagles and at the World Summit to develop and implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010 are turned into action. Within this process we continue to emphasise the importance of integrating comprehensive SRH information, services and supplies, including female and male condoms, and sex and sexuality educationinto HIV programming.
	We believe that SRH services should play a more effective role in efforts to prevent HIV, but recognise that more resources are needed to do this. DFID has recently commissioned some work to explore how the way we work helps or hinders the linkages between HIV and SRH policy, programming and funding arrangements. The forthcoming United Nations Special Session (UNGASS) in June 2006 will be an important opportunity to highlight the importance of SRH to HIV programming.
	The US does have different policies from the UK in a number of areas related to international development. This is particularly so in HIV prevention and SRH. We have, for example, different positions on issues promoting sexual abstinence and ensuring availability of safe abortion services as well as access to clean needles and syringes as harm reduction measures. There has been discussion of these differences in global and bilateral meetings. We will continue our dialogue with the UN, European Governments, the US Administration and other donors; but we will, as we always have, continue to work with US colleagues to promote country-led evidence-based and effective approaches to tackling the HIV epidemic and we will continue to promote the importance of access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health information, services and supplies.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's total bilateral aid spending was to reproductive health and HIV/AIDS in 200405, broken down by sector.

Gareth Thomas: In 200405, DFID's bilateral expenditure on projects which were targeting effective reproductive health services was 194 million. This figure is reported in the document entitled 'Statistics on International Development' (SID) 2005 (Table 20), (which is available in the Libraries of the House) and reflects all projects that were recorded as having a primary or significant focus on effective reproductive health services. It should be noted that some of these projects will also have had a primary or significant focus on other areas such as education or health systems development.
	DFID's overall bilateral spend on reproductive health services is likely to be in excess of 194 million, as further money has been spent on reproductive health by multilateral agencies supported by the UK such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organisation, and by partner governments receiving Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) from the UK.
	The expenditure figure for all projects that were shown against the tackling HIV and AIDS marker as having a primary or significant focus is also given in SID (Table 20). However, this does not represent DFID's total bilateral expenditure on HIV and AIDS. A methodology for calculating total expenditure on HIV and AIDS related projects has been developed. Figures for HIV and AIDS expenditure in 200405 using this methodology will be available soon.
	When referring to SID table 20 on DFID expenditure it is important to note that data for different markers cannot be added together. This is to avoid double counting of expenditure.

South-east Asian Tsunami

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the use made of aid allocated following the South East Asian tsunami; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: A study by the National Audit Office of DFID's provision of humanitarian assistance following the tsunami is due to report shortly.
	The initial report of the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition found that the relief phase was effective in meeting the immediate survival needs of those affected by the disaster. It also found that the speed with which money was donated and the unprecedented scale of funding allowed an early shift from immediate relief assistance to longer-term recovery. The report highlighted the need for better co-ordination of assistance and improved needs assessment in future disaster response.
	An independent evaluation, commissioned by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) on behalf its member agencies showed that there was rapid and extensive provision of appropriate relief and sensitivity to marginalised groups. Beneficiary surveys show a high level of satisfaction with initial relief work. The report concluded that overall the DEC agencies did a good job. However, there was a need for better co-ordination and greater accountability to beneficiaries.
	The World Disasters Report also highlighted weak co-ordination between humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the response. The Indian Ocean disaster was exceptional in that large numbers of international NGOs were deployed to affected countries and with greater funding than previously experienced.
	DFID has also been monitoring its response to the Indian Ocean Disaster. A report will be placed in the Library and published on the DFID website in February 2006.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development if he will list the statutory instruments introduced by his Department since 6 May 2005.

Hilary Benn: None.

Sudan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: There are 1.8 million internally displaced people and 3.4 million dependent on humanitarian assistance in Darfur. The priority is to provide assistance and protection for them, and to find a political solution that will allow people to return home and rebuild their lives.
	Recent assessments indicate a major improvement in nutrition in Darfur with malnutrition rates almost half what they were in the previous year. Likewise the recent WHO Darfur survey showed mortality rates have, in cases, reduced by two-thirds since August 2004. These improvements are due to the massive scale of the humanitarian effort.
	The UK is the second largest bilateral humanitarian donor in Darfur (after the US), providing over 96 million since September 2003. These funds have meant that hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people have been provided with shelter, food, water and basic health care.
	However, the situation still remains extremely fragile. We are particularly concerned about the impact that deteriorating security is having on humanitarian operations, especially in South and West Darfur. If aid were reduced because of conflict, insecurity or funding shortages, the humanitarian situation would deteriorate very quickly. We are taking every opportunity to call for an improvement in security and to press for a negotiated political agreement in Abuja.

TRANSPORT

A21 Upgrade

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the Regional Transport Board's advice on priorities regarding the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: The south eastern region submitted its advice on priorities to central Government on 31 January. The text of the advice can be found on the regional assembly's website at http://www.southeast- ra.gov.uk/our_work/advocacy/rfa.html.

Boeing 747132 (N481EV)

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why was Boeing 747132, registration N481EV, not diverted to Stansted after encountering engine trouble on 24 April 2004 rather than being allowed to fly over London; and what cargo this aircraft was carrying.

Karen Buck: The captain of Evergreen 747 N481EV elected to divert to Heathrow rather than Stansted because the weather and visibility were good there and he had identified Heathrow when overflying that airport before the engine trouble occurred. The safety of the aircraft and choice of location for diversion is ultimately the captain's responsibility and air traffic control facilitated his request.
	The captain did not notify air traffic control that the aircraft was carrying anything other than normal cargo.

C-385/04 Ruling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of case C-385/04, Commission of the European Communities v. United Kingdom and Northern Ireland; what estimate he has made of the costs of an appeal against the ruling; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Case C-385/04 is a case brought by the European Commission against the United Kingdom, pursuant to Article 226 of the EC treaty. The case was brought, because we did not implement Directive 2001/16/EC on the Interoperability of the Trans-European Conventional Rail System within the period prescribed, which ended on 20 April 2003.
	The Regulations required to implement that Directive have now been through consultation and are intended to be signed and laid during February 2006. Accordingly, any issue of failure to implement will shortly become otiose and there is therefore no reason to appeal against the Court's ruling.

Commercial Aircraft

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will calculate the statistical probability of a commercial aircraft getting into difficulties in the flight path to Heathrow over London; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: The Civil Aviation Authority has used its Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Database to review safety events inbound to and departing from London Heathrow, from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2005. It has identified those reports in which in its opinion the crew experienced or might have experienced difficulties in carrying out normal procedures. In the few cases identified all the flights were completed safely.
	Aircraft overfly portions of Greater London on both arrival and departure. Only seven incidents in the period met the chosen criteria, five on approach and two on departure, from 2,817,156 movements. CAA's estimate of the statistical probability of an aircraft getting into difficulties in the flight path to Heathrow is therefore as follows:
	Considering approach only, 3.55x10 - 6 events per aircraft landing, or approximately one such event every  million landings.
	Considering approach and take off, 2.48x10 - 6 events per aircraft movement, or approximately one such event, every 400,000 movements.
	These figures equate to about one event a year.

Concessionary Transport

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners in Tooting have (a) received discounted driving licences and (b) qualified for free bus travel in 2005.

Karen Buck: In the parliamentary constituency of Tooting, over 12,000 people aged 60 or older were eligible for concessionary travel on London's buses in 2005. In the whole of the London borough of Wandsworth, 36,000 people aged 60 or older were eligible. However, the take-up of concessionary travel in the constituency or the borough is not known. In London as a whole, the take-up rate of concessionary travel permits was 85 per cent. in 2004, the most recent year's data available.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) do not issue discounted driving licences. However, there is no charge for licence renewals either at the age of 70 and over or for medical reasons. The DVLA are unable to provide any information on the number of licence issues that occurred in any particular geographic area.

Departmental Estate

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) land and (b) property is owned by his Department in Forest of Dean constituency.

Karen Buck: The Highways Agency (an Executive agency of the Department for Transport) owns a maintenance depot in the Forest of Dean constituency. The depot is located at Bury Court which is near junction 2 on the M50.

Ece (Loss at Sea)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the environmental consequences arising from the loss at sea of the Ece and its cargo.

Stephen Ladyman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have consulted extensively with the statutory bodies with responsibilities for the marine environmentprimarily Defra for fisheries interests and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee for seabirds and mammals. The cargo of phosphoric acid is not considered to be a significant threat to the marine environment as it will rapidly disperse. The bunker oil already released from the vessel has formed a thin layer of oil on the surface but is expected to disperse naturally. The sea area around the wreck is being monitored on a daily basis. The MCA will respond to any leakage of cargo or bunker oils according to the national contingency plan for marine pollution from shipping and offshore installations.

Eddington Report

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of producing the Eddington report.

Alistair Darling: Rod Eddington has been asked to provide advice to the Chancellor and myself. He is supported by a team of 10 civil servants drawn from the Department for Transport and HM Treasury. Programme costs are being shared between the Department for Transport and HM Treasury and being met from the existing budgets for those two Departments, with total spend to date totalling approximately 55,000.

European Transport Legislation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the status is of legislation to establish a (a) European highway code and (b) vehicle register; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I am not aware of any such proposals.

Harbour Revision Orders

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 January, to question 43154 on harbour revision orders, why it is not current practice to inform hon. Members about harbour revision orders affecting their constituencies; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has reviewed its practice in this matter and will be asking applicants to inform hon. Members when applications for Harbour Orders are made affecting their constituencies.

Infrastructure Investment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on each of the infrastructure investment projects announced by his Department on (a) 2 December 2004, (b) 9 July 2003, (c) 1 April 2003 and (d) 10 December 2002.

Stephen Ladyman: Tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House which set out the current status of each of the infrastructure investment projects listed in the press releases announced by the Department on (a) 2 December 2004, (b) 9 July 2003, (c) 1 April 2003 and (d) 10 December 2002.

M1 (Junction 9)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons trees have been felled on both sides of the M1 motorway south of junction 9; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The tree and vegetation clearance works currently being carried out adjacent to the M1 motorway between junctions 6A and 10 are part of the advance works for the motorway widening scheme which is due to start construction in March 2006.

M1 (Junction 9)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) roadworks and (b) new road construction is planned in the vicinity of junction 9 of the M1 motorway over the next two years; how long such work will last; whether it will involve M1 lane closures; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Construction of the M1 junctions 6A to 10 Widening scheme is due to start in late March 2006 and be completed by December 2008. The works will involve lane restrictions on the motorway, including contra-flow running at times. However, the contractor will be required to keep three lanes open in each direction during the day. Some lane closures will be needed overnight for specific work activities and details of these will be advertised in advance to forewarn motorists. There will also be occasions when this stretch of motorway will have to be closed overnight to allow bridge demolition works to be undertaken safely. The number of such closures will be kept to the absolute minimum and will be widely advertised in advance, along with details of the diversion routes. Advance works including site clearance of vegetation, site fencing and the construction of site compounds began in December 2005.

M181

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take to tackle the uneven surface of the M181 motorway; in what timescale; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency expects to carry out localised repairs on the uneven surface of the M181 in the coming financial year (200607). The Agency will also be undertaking a study of the M181 road surface and depending on the findings of this study, resurfacing on parts of this route may be carried out within the next three years.

Ministerial Meetings

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the five largest bus companies in the last eight months.

Karen Buck: Department for Transport Ministers and officials have meetings with representatives from bus companies on a regular basis to discuss a range of bus and public transport issues.

Ministerial Meetings

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list meetings he has held with (a) passenger transport authorities and (b) passenger transport executives in the last eight months.

Karen Buck: The Secretary of State has met members of the Passenger Transport Authorities and Passenger Transport Executives on several occasions during his programme of visits around the country in the last eight months.

Motoring Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to make it a criminal offence for the driver of a motor vehicle deliberately to stop at a green traffic light and to refuse to move the vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: There is no need to create a new criminal offence. The existing provisions under the Highways Act 1980, the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 are adequate for dealing with people who drive without reasonable consideration for other road users, and with drivers of stationary vehicles that are causing danger or obstruction at traffic signals.

Off-peak Travel

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to extend free off-peak travel on public transport to all 14 to 19-year-olds.

Karen Buck: It is already open to individual local authorities to offer concessionary bus travel to people up to the age of 18. There are no plans at present to make such provision statutory.

Park and Ride

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which (a) cities and (b) towns new park and ride schemes have been established in the last five years.

Karen Buck: Local transport authorities outside London (county councils, unitary areas and, in each former metropolitan county, the passenger transport authority and metropolitan district councils jointly) produced their five year transport plans in 2000 and every year since then have produced progress reports annually. They include forms listing how many schemes have been completed, but not their exact locations. Also the website www.parkandride.net lists most park and ride schemes.

Quiet Lanes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent guidance he (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to local authorities about the implementation of his policy of quiet lanes in rural areas.

Karen Buck: Quiet lanes are a Countryside Agency initiative that has the support of the Department for Transport.
	In June 2004 the Department for Transport issued Traffic Advisory Leaflet 3/04 which described the two Quiet Lanes National Demonstration Projects and their impacts and offers advice for future schemes. Copies of this leaflet have been placed in the House Library.
	The Department for Transport is currently finalising work on guidance on issues that local traffic authorities in England must consider when deciding whether or not to designate a road as a quiet lane (or a home zone) and when making use orders and speed orders. It is intended to publish the guidance as a Department for Transport Circular soon, in parallel with the publication of regulations.

Quiet Lanes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the implementation of his policy of quiet lanes in rural areas, with particular reference to local authority areas in the south-east of England.

Karen Buck: Quiet lanes is a Countryside Agency initiative that has the support of the Department for Transport.
	The Department commissioned research to examine the impact of the two National Demonstration Projects in west Kent and north Norfolk. The findings of this research were published by TRL Limited in 2004 and are summarised the Department for Transport's Traffic Advisory Leaflet 3/04 which was published in June 2004. Copies of this leaflet have been placed in the House Library.
	The Transport Act 2000 gave local traffic authorities the powers to designate roads for which they are the traffic authority as quiet lanes. There is no requirement in the Act for authorities to provide the Department with details of their quiet lanes schemes.
	Quiet lanes are identified in LTP guidance and contribute to the measures designed to improve shared priorities and quality of life issues. However, there has, so far, been no specific assessment of the impact they have had.

Railways

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that funding for the policing of the railways continues to be provided solely by the railway industry; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Government remains committed to the principle that the costs of policing the railway should remain largely funded by the industry itself and most recently confirmed this policy when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the current review of the British Transport Police (BTP) in his statement to the House on 11 October 2005.

Road Improvements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 1994W, on road improvements, how many of the Highways Agency Targeted Programme of Improvements projects are on the basis of (a) fixed price, (b) time and materials and (c) other.

Stephen Ladyman: Three of the Highways Agency Targeted Programme of Improvements projects are in category (a) , 39 of them are in category (b) and 17 of them are in category (c) .
	Three categories have been interpreted as follows:
	(a) Fixed price: PFI (private finance initiative) schemes or the pilot fixed price contract for A500 City Road and Stoke Junction
	(b) Time and materials: The ECI (early contractor involvement) form of contract where the majority of the payments are made on actual cost against the target cost plus fixed profit and overheads
	(c) Other: This has been taken to include ECC (engineering and construction contract) option B (priced contract with bill of quantities) and ECC option C (target price with activity schedule).

Road Maintenance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on minor repairs to trunk roads and motorways in the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 31 January 2006
	The motorways and trunks roads of the strategic road network are managed by the Highways Agency, an executive Agency of the Department for Transport. The reporting of the cost of managing these roads is not broken down by category of road. The funding for minor repairs to the strategic network is contained within a wider programme of maintenance, which covers a number of network components such as carriageways, footways, cycle tracks, drainage, street lighting, signs, traffic signals, guard railing, safety fencing and embankment/cutting slopes. It is not possible to report expenditure exclusively for the 'minor repairs' element of a much wider budget. The figures for repairing roads on the network in the last three years are shown in the following table.
	
		 million
		
			  Maintenance(4) 
		
		
			 200203 796 
			 200304 726 
			 200405 732 
		
	
	(4) Resource and capital expenditure.

Road Traffic Accidents

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) serious road traffic accidents occurred in the Tooting constituency in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of fatal and serious personal injury road accidents that occurred in the parliamentary constituency of Tooting between 1997 and 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), is given in the table. The accidents are those which occurred within the 2004 boundary of Tooting constituency.
	
		Fatal and serious personal injury road accidents in Tooting constituency: 19972004
		
			  Fatal Accidents Serious Accidents 
		
		
			 1997 4 71 
			 1998 2 71 
			 1999 2 38 
			 2000 2 48 
			 2001 1 54 
			 2002 2 48 
			 2003 6 36 
			 2004 3 43

Road Traffic Accidents

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) young drivers and (b) passengers of young drivers have been killed in road accidents in the last five years; and what steps the Government are taking to reduce these figures.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of young car drivers, and the number of passengers of young car drivers killed in personal injury road accidents between 2000 and 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in the following table.
	
		Young car drivers and passengers of young car drivers killed in personal injury road accidents: 200004
		
			  Age of driver 
			  17 to 21 22 to 25 
			  Driver fatalities(5) Passenger fatalities(5) Driver fatalities(5) Passenger fatalities(5) 
		
		
			 2000 195 158 117 72 
			 2001 210 182 123 79 
			 2002 215 157 132 72 
			 2003 228 182 132 78 
			 2004 214 189 144 84 
		
	
	(5) Deaths within 30 days of the accident.
	On measures to reduce these casualties, I refer to my answers to the hon. Member for Tewksbury (Mr. Robertson) on 6 December 2005, Official Report, column 1118W and to my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2023W.

Rotherwas Access Road

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when a decision will be made on the Rotherwas access road in Hereford.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering advice from the west midland region about the prioritisation of the Rotherwas access road and other schemes in the west midlands area. We plan to make an announcement responding to this advice in the spring.

School Transport

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to (a) subsidise and (b) facilitate independent travel to school by pupils.

Karen Buck: It is already open to individual local authorities to offer concessionary bus travel to people up to the age of 18. There are no plans at present to make such provision statutory.
	Facilitating independent travel to school is a key objective of the 'Travelling to School' project which aims to make it possible for as many pupils as possible to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to school.

Shellhaven Port

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the developers of Shellhaven port make a financial contribution to the development of rail freight infrastructure in the Greater London area and beyond.

Stephen Ladyman: The Secretary of State will take into account all relevant matters in considering his decision on the proposed London Gateway port at Shellhaven. Interested parties have been invited to comment on representations received on issues, including road and rail access, raised in the Secretary of State's minded approval letter of 20 July 2005.

Speed Cameras

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the revenue was from fines resulting from speed camera convictions in Cambridgeshire in the latest year for which figures are available; and what sums were passed to (a) the Consolidated Fund and (b) the Cambridgeshire Safety Camera Partnership.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department only holds this information for offences detected by the Cambridgeshire Safety Camera Partnership within the national safety camera programme. The information is available for financial year 200405 and is shown in the following table.
	
		Cambridgeshire: Fixed penalties from offences detected by cameras 200405
		
			   
		
		
			 Total Fine Revenue 1,196,460 
			 Partnership Costs 1,021,261 
			 Passed to Consolidated Fund 175,199

Transport Innovation Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the criteria are for a successful bid to the Transport Innovation Fund.

Karen Buck: The criteria against which allocations will be made from the Transport Innovation Fund are set out in the paper Transport Innovation Fund: Guidance: January 2006, which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport in a written statement on 26 January 2006, Official Report, columns 6667WS.

Transport Innovation Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the documentation relating to each (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful bid by local authorities for the Transport Innovation Fund.

Karen Buck: There have been no bids for the Transport Innovation Fund as yet. I have, though, placed in the Library a copy of the decision letters sent to all authorities which bid in October 2005 for pump-priming funds to support the development of schemes including demand management.
	My right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced details of the winning bidders in November 2005 (28 November 2005, Official Report, column 3WS) and the bids can be found on the DFT's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/divisionhomepage/610460.hcsp

Transport Innovation Fund

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written statement of 26 January 2006, Official Report, columns 6667WS, on the Transport Innovation Fund, if he will list the schemes which are expected to make a major contribution to national productivity for which existing sources of funding are insufficient.

Karen Buck: The basis for allocating funding from the Transport Innovation Fund to schemes expected to contribute to national productivity is set out in the paper Transport Innovation Fund: Guidance: January 2006 published by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 January. No view has yet been taken on which schemes may meet the criteria set out in that guidance, as we wish first to seek the views of the regional development agencies.

Transport Projects (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has provided for transport projects in Tamworth since 1997.

Karen Buck: Since the introduction of local transport plans in 2000, the local authorities in the Staffordshire local transport plan area have received around 96 million in funding for local transport projects and maintenance schemes. In addition Staffordshire county council has also received 18.5 million in funding for major transport schemes.
	Between 1997 and 2000 the local authorities in Staffordshire county council received 27 million in funding for local transport capital investment.
	The Department does not have the data to identify a figure separately for local transport investment in Tamworth.
	The Highways Agency has also funded major resurfacing and repair work to improve the safety of the A5 Tamworth bypass at a cost of 1.53 million. The work involved resurfacing both carriageways over a 5 km stretch of the A5 between the Marlborough Way junction and the A453 Mile Oak junction. They have also funded work to improve safety barriers and drainage. The work started in October 2005 and was completed in December 2005.
	The Tamworth constituency will benefit from the Trent Valley four tracking scheme on the West Coast main line19 kms of additional two tracks at a cost of 327 million. The work started in 2003 and will be complete in 2008.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the costs of redundancies arising from the reorganisation of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Barry Gardiner: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given in another place by my noble Friend Lord Bach of Lutterworth to the noble Baroness Byford on 18 January 2006, Official Report, column WA107.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual expenditure on vehicles by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 200506.

Alan Johnson: The following figures are those recorded for car hire and leasing over the years in question.
	
		
			  Actuals Budget 
			 Entity 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 DTI 214,045 201,694 209,774 96,697 
			 UK Trade and Investment (Admin) 5,569 6,586 24,709 10,682 
			 Employment Tribunals Service 29,059 10,167 7,584 9,483 
			 Insolvency Service 54,505 23,480 16,165 0 
		
	
	The Insolvency Service have not used the Department's finance system since April 2005 and we therefore have no budget information for them for this year.
	The regional split of this expenditure cannot be supplied without incurring disproportionate cost. Information on the Department's other agencies, public bodies and sponsors is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	For details of expenditure on ministerial vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 20 December 2005 from the chief executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker). Copies of this letter are available in the Libraries of the House.

Employers Liability Assurance

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is a requirement for companies to record details of their employers' liability insurance on their annual returns to Companies House.

Barry Gardiner: It is not a requirement for companies to include details of their employers' liability insurance on their annual returns to Companies House.

Employment

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have been employed in the manufacturing sector in each year since June 2001.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The table shows the number of people employed in the manufacturing sector from summer quarters of the Labour Force Survey. These figures are from the Office for National Statistics.
	
		Manufacturing sector employment(6)United Kingdom: summer quarters(7) 2001 to 2005, not seasonally adjusted
		
			  Number of people employed 
		
		
			 2001 4,433,317 
			 2002 4,297,866 
			 2003 4,022,643 
			 2004 3,841,459 
			 2005 3,731,802 
		
	
	(6) Employment includes: employees; self-employed; Government employment and training programs; and unpaid family workers.
	(7) Summer quarters cover June, July and August.
	Source:
	Summer quarters(8) of Labour Force Survey

European Commissioner for Trade

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates he held meetings with the European Commissioner for Trade since October 2004.

Alan Johnson: My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, and I have met the European Commissioner for Trade on the following occasions since October 2004.
	
		
			  Occasion 
		
		
			 20 October 2004 Bilateral dinner, London 
			 14 June 2005 Bilateral meeting, Brussels 
			 18 July 2005 Informal EU Trade Ministers' dinner, Brussels 
			 5 and 7 September 2005 EU-China and EU-India summits 
			 21 November 2005 General Affairs Council and informal EU Trade Ministers' dinner, Brussels 
			 11 to 17 December 2005 Regular meetings throughout the WTO Ministerial, Hong Kong

European Commissioner for Trade

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what telephone conversations he has held with the European Trade Commissioner since October 2004.

Alan Johnson: My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, and I have been in regular contact with the European Trade Commissioner by telephone during this period.

First-class Letters

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of first-class letters posted in the Peterborough city council unitary authority area met Royal Mail's online delivery target in the last year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail Plc. The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Flexible Working Hours

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely impact on South Swindon of a 24-hour economy; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Michael: DTI has made no specific assessment of the likely impact of a 24-hour economy on South Swindon. The Department sponsors the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), which has a statutory purpose to further economic development in its area. The economic and physical regeneration of Swindon town centre is a key project for SWRDA.
	Local authorities have an important role in assessing and responding to local economic need. I understand that Swindon borough council is considering how to take forward the findings of a recent review of the town centre night time economy, and is working to establish a new partnership which will, with SWRDA and the New Swindon Company (Swindon's urban regeneration company), take forward development of Swindon's economy.

Freepost Operators

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to make illegal the deliberate imposition of costs upon a freepost operator through campaign mail.

Barry Gardiner: Misuse of the 'Freepost' product is an operational and contractual matter for the attention of the product's owner. Royal Mail have procedures for managing potential misuse of the service and these ensure that freepost operators are not penalised by systematic abuse.

Marine Bill

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1767W, on the Marine Bill, when the Government will undertake the public consultation on the Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are planning to undertake the public consultation on the Marine Bill over a period of 12 weeks commencing in March 2006.

National Minimum Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of employees in Wales who have been affected by the minimum wage since 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The DTI estimates that approximately 70,000 people in Wales stood to benefit from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the ONS' spring 2003 central estimates of low pay, the labour force survey and the 2003 new earnings survey.
	The DTI estimates that approximately 70,000 people in Wales stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2004 annual survey of hours and earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2004.
	The DTI estimates that approximately 50,000 people in Wales will be covered by the October 2005 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2005 annual survey of hours and earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2005.

National Minimum Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of employees in Scotland whose wage has been affected by the minimum wage since 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The DTI estimates that approximately 140,000 people in Scotland stood to benefit from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the ONS' spring 2003 central estimates of low pay, the Labour Force Survey and the 2003 New Earnings Survey.
	The DTI estimates that approximately 130,000 people in Scotland stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2004 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2004.
	The DTI estimates that approximately 100,000 people in Scotland will be covered by the October 2005 uprating of the national minimum wage, based on the 2005 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and taking into account earnings inflation from spring and October 2005.

Personal Debt Advice

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what personal debt advice services are funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department actively supports services that provide free and impartial personal debt advice. We have committed 1 million a year to National Debtline, a telephone debt advice service, funded jointly with industry and other Government Departments. This is helping to fund the recruitment of 30 additional trainee advisers and assisting with progress towards increasing their adviser resource to 84 by 2007.
	The Department is also responsible for administering 45 million of the Treasury's 120 million Financial Inclusion Fund in grants for Face-to-Face debt advice providers in England and Wales. This funding, scheduled for distribution over the coming two financial years, is aimed at increasing the capacity and availability of Face-to-Face debt advice across the most financially excluded communities and vulnerable social groups,

Post Office Card Account

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was first informed by the Department for Work and Pensions that its contract with Post Office Ltd. for the provision of the Post Office card account would cease in 2010.

Barry Gardiner: It was made clear from the outset that the contract for the Post Office card account was an interim measure and would end in 2010.

Post Office Card Account

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the post office network of abolishing the Post Office card account after 2010.

Barry Gardiner: The Post Office card account is only one of a large number of ways that people can access benefit and pension money form the Post Office. Post Office Ltd. is looking to develop new banking and savings products, which might offer still further options for card account customers who want to keep getting their money from the Post Office.
	Benefits payments through post offices are just one of several issues which affect the future role of the Post Office and will need to be considered in that wider context.

Post Office Network

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government have taken in response to the conclusions and recommendations of the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit report, Counter Revolution: Modernising the Post Office Network, published in 2000.

Barry Gardiner: The Performance and Innovation Unit report was helpful in identifying the issues facing the post office network in 2000. Government accepted all the report's recommendations.
	We have committed around 2 billion in support of the introduction of a range of measures aimed at creating an efficient and sustainable post office network. The network still faces significant challenges and we are considering what further measures may be required.

Post Office Network

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the Government funding arrangements provided in respect of the post office network since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: There was no significant funding for the Post Office Corporation prior to 1999, but since then Government support of almost 2 billion in total has been made available to Post Office Ltd. including:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 Horizon IT project 480 
			 Contribution to Your Guide project 25 
			 Support for the rural network to 2006 450 
			 Community post office support 2 
			 Support for urban network reinvention 210 
			 Deprived urban schemes in England 15 
			 Repayment of historic debt to Royal Mail(9) 726 
		
	
	(9) To April 2003.
	The Government have also decided to extend support to the rural network for two further years to 2008, worth another 300 million. This is subject to state aid clearance.

Post Office Network

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rural post offices in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Beverley and Holderness have closed in the last 12 months.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Postal Services

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total number of sub post offices in each county council and metropolitan borough area was in (a) 1997 and (b) 2005.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 30 January 2006
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The Chief Executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Postal Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total number of sub-post offices in the Milton Keynes unitary authority area was in (a) 2001 and (b) 2005.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Postal Services

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the minimum number of post office branches required by the Royal Mail to fulfil the terms of its universal service obligation.

Barry Gardiner: This is a matter for the postal services regulator, Postcomm.

Postal Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) sub-post offices and (b) post offices there were in (i) Peterborough city council unitary authority area and (ii) Peterborough constituency in each year since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Royal Mail

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Treasury on the tax treatment of employees of Royal Mail arising from a distribution of shares in Royal Mail to those employees.

Barry Gardiner: There have been no such discussions.

Royal Mail

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bicycles each Royal Mail delivery office has for their work; and if the Royal Mail will increase the use of bicycles for delivery.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail Plc. The chief executive has been asked to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

State-owned Enterprises

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment the Government have made of the extent to which new investment has been withdrawn as a result of the EU ban on investing in state-owned enterprises.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no ban on investment in state-owned enterprises. State investment in any company whether publicly or privately owned must comply with the European state aid rules.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the statutory instruments introduced by his Department since 6 May 2005.

Alan Johnson: The OPSI (HMSO) SI Registrar (siregistrar@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk) can provide a list of statutory instruments issued by individual Departments. Statutory Instruments which have been originated by Departments but eventually made by the Privy Council Office, are only listed under the Privy Council Office.
	During the period 6 May 2005 to 2 February 2006 my Department registered 68 Statutory Instruments with the SI Registrar (one of which was a Privy Council Order). These are listed as follows:
	2005 3524 Insolvency Practitioners and Insolvency Services Account (Fees) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order
	2005 3469 Communications Act 2003 (Maximum Penalty and Disclosure of Information) Order
	2005 3175 Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Commencement No.2) Order
	2005 3525 Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for Use Outdoors (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 3558 Enterprise Act 2002 (Merger Fees) (Amendment) Order
	2005 2483 Energy Administration Rules
	2005 1871 Employment Appeal Tribunal (Amendment) Rules
	2005 1865 Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations
	2005 2464 Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order
	2005 3153 Renewable Energy (Designation of Area) (Scottish Ministers) Order
	2005 2001 Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Nickel) (Safety) Regulations
	2005 2471 Patents Act 2004 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Order
	2005 2496 Patents (Amendment) Rules
	2005 3135 Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Overseas Relationships) Order
	2005 1803 General Product Safety Regulations
	2005 3103 Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Dental Goods), (Imported Hardwood and Softwood Timber) and (Estate Agents) (Revocation) Order
	2005 1788 Community Interest Company Regulations
	2005 3098 Films (Exclusivity Agreements) (Revocation) Order
	2005 3137 Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Relationships Arising Through Civil Partnership) Order
	2005 2340 Enterprise Act 2002 (Bodies Designated to make Super-complaints) (Amendment) Order
	2005 2114 Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order
	2005 3346 Cosmetic Products (Safety) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations
	2005 3347 Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption) (Amendment) Order
	2005 2055 Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations
	2005 3352 Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order
	2005 2242 Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (England and Wales) Order
	2005 2243 Company Auditors (Recognition Orders) (Application Fees) and the Companies Act 1989 (Recognised Supervisory Bodies) (Periodical Fees) (Revocation) Regulations
	2005 2280 Companies Act 1985 (Investment Companies and Accounting and Audit Amendments) Regulations
	2005 2281 Companies (Summary Financial Statement) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2282 Companies (Revision of Defective Accounts and Report) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 3257 Export Control (Uzbekistan) Order
	2005 2019 National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 1984 Bank Accounts Directive (Miscellaneous Banks) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2339 Community Design Regulations
	2005 2421 Employment Code of Practice (Access and Unfair Practices during Recognition and Derecognition Ballots) Order
	2005 1989 Limited Liability Partnerships (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 1987 Partnerships and Unlimited Companies (Accounts) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 1985 Insurance Accounts Directive (Miscellaneous Insurance Undertakings) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2364 Compromise Agreements (Description of Person) Order
	2005 2467 Employment Equality (Sex Discrimination) Regulations
	2005 2365 Specified Body (Consumer Claims) Order
	2005 3129 Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Overseas Relationships and Consequential, etc. Amendments) Order
	2005 3442 Companies Act 1985 (Operating and Financial Review) (Repeal) Regulations
	2005 2417 Companies (Disclosure of Auditor Remuneration) Regulations
	2005 2418 Enterprise Act 2002 (Part 8 Community Infringements Specified UK Laws) (Amendment) Order
	2005 2419 Employment Relations Act 2004 (Commencement No.4 and Transitional Provisions) Order
	2005 2420 Employment Code of Practice (Industrial Action Ballots and Notice to Employers) Order
	2005 2337 Companies Act 1989 (Delegation) Order
	2005 2746 Companies (Welsh Language Forms) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2965 Energy Act 2004 (Commencement No.6) Order
	2005 2670 Restriction On Conduct (Specialist Advertising Services) (Revocation) Order
	2005 1516 Insolvent Partnerships Amendment Order
	2005 1815 Cosmetic Products (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2705 Consumer Protection (Code of Practice for Traders on Price Indications) Approval Order
	2005 2718 Office of Communications (Membership) Order
	2005 1401 Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2747 Companies (Forms) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 2748 Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations
	2005 2751 Supply of Relevant Veterinary Medicinal Products Order
	2005 1646 Electricity and Gas Appeals (Designation and Exclusion) Order
	2005 1654 Nuclear Industries Security (Fees) Regulations
	2005 3041 Electricity (Exemption from the Requirements for a Generation Licence) (Scotland) Order
	2005 1677 Export Control (Democratic Republic of Congo) Order
	2005 3057 Weights and Measures (Miscellaneous Foods) (Amendment) Order
	2006 18 Performances (Moral Rights, etc.) Regulations
	2006 35 Copyright (Certification of Licensing Scheme for Educational Recording of Broadcasts and Cable Programmes) (Educational Recording Agency Limited) Order
	2006 99 Working Time (Amendment) Regulations
	Privy Council Order
	2005 3431 European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty) Order

Telephone Cold Calling

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further steps his Department is considering to curb telephone cold calling.

Alun Michael: Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, consumers are offered protection from telephone cold calling through the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme. This has proved to be an effective deterrent with 11.2 million registrations to date. No one is allowed to make an unsolicited marketing call to a subscriber who has either previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls or has been registered with the TPS scheme for at least 28 days. We have no evidence of any need to consider further measures. We have no evidence of any need to consider further measures.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Leader of the House what total sum has been received by his Office for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of operation.

Nigel Griffiths: No money has been specifically received by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Compensation Bill

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the Compensation Bill on collective conditional fee arrangements.

Bridget Prentice: The Government considers that part two of the Bill, which introduces the statutory regulation of claims management services, will have no impact on collective conditional fee agreements. Statutory regulation will ensure that those who provide claims management services must abide by rules and a code of practice, providing much needed consumer protection. This will not affect the various methods available for funding claims.

Family Law Act

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what average time it has taken for proceedings to be concluded under the new provision 42A of the Family Law Act 1996, as amended by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004.

Bridget Prentice: This information is not collated centrally. Part of our places for the implementation of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims and Victims Act 2004 is the better collection of statistical information. We are planning to research the impact of breaches and the implementation of the provisions of the Act.

Land Registry

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the Land Registry holds details of the titles of all land in England; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Land Registry holds about 21 million registered titles to land in England and Wales. Most urban land is registered but much rural land remains unregistered. Registration is compulsory after certain specific events, for example, a sale of land or a transfer on death. Land Registry cannot otherwise compel registration but has a long term strategy of working towards a comprehensive register by persuading landowners of the benefits of voluntarily registering their holdings.

Office Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) her Department, (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) Executive agency and (C) other public body for which her Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each English region and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 200304 and (y) 200405.

Harriet Harman: Most of the Department's IT equipment is provided under service supply contracts with service providers. Details of the equipment owned by the Department, its Executive agencies, and its non-departmental public bodies, for which records are held, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Hardware 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Department of Constitutional Affairs 
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 4,449 3,568 
			 Laptops 710 556 
			 Servers 43 57 
			 Printers 2,166 1,878 
			 Scanners  4 
			
			 Law Commission   
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 11 11 
			 Laptops 1 1 
			 Printers 2 2 
			 Printer/Fax Machine 1 1 
			 Printer/Scanner 1 1 
			 Fax machines 2 2 
			 Scanners 1 1 
			 Photocopiers 1 0 
			
			 HM Land Registry   
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 224 254 
			 Laptops 64 59 
			 Servers 9 8 
			 Printers 626 679 
			 Scanners 18 18 
			 Photocopiers 650 631 
			 Fax Machines 203 197 
			
			 Information Commissioner's Office 
			 PCs/Desktop Machines   
			 Laptops   
			 Servers   
			 Printers   
			 Scanners   
			 Photocopiers 8 8 
			 Fax Machines 13 13 
			
			 Council on Tribunals  
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 1 1 
			 Laptops 2 2 
			 Printers 1 1 
			 Photocopiers 1 1 
			 Fax Machines 2 2 
			
			 Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner 
			 Laptops 1 1 
			 Fax Machines 1 1 
			
			 National Archives   
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 946 1,022 
			 Laptops 50 58 
			 Servers 129 172 
			 Printers 264 289 
			 Scanners 38 53 
			 Photocopiers 1 1 
			 Fax Machines 16 16 
		
	
	
		Northern Ireland Court Service
		
			  
		
		
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 79 
			 Laptops 28 
			 Servers 5 
			 Printers 21 
			 Scanners 11 
			 Photocopiers  
			 Fax Machines  
			 Owned in 200304 58 
			 Owned in 200405 53 
		
	
	The Information Technology services for the Northern Ireland Court Service are provided through a Private Finance Initiative agreement and as such the majority of IT hardware items remain the property of the Service Provider. The Court Service has however, purchased certain items outside the Agreement and these details are shown above.
	
		Legal Services Commission
		
			 Hardware Position at 20 December 2005 
		
		
			 PCs/Desktop Machines 1,974 
			 Laptops 334 
			 Servers 131 
			 Printers 251 
			 Scanners 14 
			 Photocopiers (10)73 
			 Fax Machines 27 
		
	
	(10) The Legal Services Commission inventory reflects the position at 20 December 2005. The Legal Services Commission also has 73 multi-functional devices, which are photocopies/printers. It is not possible to tell which are just used as photocopiers. These 73 are not included in the printer total given above

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John Randall: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions for breaches of antisocial behaviour orders the Crown Prosecution Service has brought in (a) Uxbridge and (b) the London borough of Hillingdon.

Mike O'Brien: Police records are kept for the London borough of Hillingdon, which includes Uxbridge. Separate figures for Uxbridge are not retained. These records denote breaches of all antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) granted within the borough of Hillingdon. They also include ASBOs breached in Hillingdon but granted within other boroughs.
	Figures for breaches of ASBOs prior to 2004 are unavailable.
	In 2004, five adults were prosecuted for breach of an antisocial behaviour order.
	In 2005, 42 adults and two youths were prosecuted for breach of an antisocial behaviour order.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what representations he has received about the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) Essex and (b) Southend in each of the last nine years for which information is available.

Mike O'Brien: A review of records indicates that neither I nor my predecessors have received representations from any MPs other than the hon. Member concerning the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Essex during the last nine years. I am told that three letters have been received from members of the public during this period making complaints about CPS performance in Essex, none of which appear to relate to Southend.
	HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has recently conducted an Overall Performance Assessment of CPS Essex. The report is anticipated to be published during March.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how much the Director of the Crown Prosecution Service has received in bonuses in each of the last two financial years for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The salary arrangements for the Director of Public Prosecutions do not provide for bonus payments.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service was (a) one day and (b) one week too late in taking action against a defendant in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Mike O'Brien: Generally speaking, there are no limitations on the time for taking criminal proceedings for indictable offences. In summary proceedings, the Justices will not try information alleging an offence unless the information was laid within six months from the time the offence was committed. However, the Crown Prosecution Service maintains no central records of occasions when this limitation is breached.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many complaints have been made about the Crown Prosecution Service since 1997; how many of those complaints have been upheld in each year; and what action was taken to redress each successful complaint.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a record of the number of responses sent to members of the public who make a complaint.
	The figures for each year since records began are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998(11) 2,423 
			 1999 2,192 
			 2000 2,793 
			 2001 2,815 
			 2002 3,080 
			 2003 3,624 
			 2004 3,915 
			 2005 4,338 
		
	
	(11) April to December only.
	A complaint may be made by any party in a criminal case or by a member of the public with no direct involvement in proceedings. Complaints may relate to a range of issues including the performance of one or more of the agencies involved or to matters of general policy. Therefore, it is not possible for the CPS to divide complaints into those upheld, those rejected, and those where redress was offered.
	When responding to complainants, the CPS seeks to explain its role in criminal proceedings, the principles on which its decisions are based and, where there has been an admitted error, what steps it will take to ensure that the error will not happen again. However, it may not be appropriate to enter into a discussion of the evidence in particular cases, particularly with complainants who are not directly involved in a case.

Prosecution Statistics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what percentage of prosecutions in Cambridgeshire were aborted in 200405.

Mike O'Brien: CPS Cambridgeshire finalised 15,122 defendant cases in the magistrates courts in 200405. A conviction rate of 85.6 per cent. (against a national average of 80.8 per cent.) was achieved. The discontinuance rate in the magistrates court was 9.5 per cent. against a national rate of 12.5 per cent. The rate of unsuccessful outcomes, which includes discontinuances, cases dismissed after trial and other disposals, as a percentage of completed cases in the magistrates court was 14.4 per cent. (against a national percentage figure of 19.2 per cent.).
	CPS Cambridgeshire finalised 1,259 defendant cases in the crown court. A conviction rate of 81.2 per cent. was achieved (against a national average of 75.8 per cent.). 9.9 per cent. of Crown court cases resulted in a judge ordered acquittal or discontinuance, compared with a national figure of 14.2 per cent. The rate of unsuccessful outcomes, which includes judge ordered acquittals, acquittals after trial and other disposals, as a percentage of completed cases in the Crown court was 18.8 per cent. (against a national percentage figure of 24.2 per cent.).
	The combined unsuccessful outcomes rate for magistrates and Crown courts was 14.7 per cent. (against a national percentage figure of 19.6 per cent.).

DEFENCE

Active Service Prosecutions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the cases since 1997 in which all proceedings are complete where (a) military and (b) civil prosecutions have been brought against UK service personnel in respect of actions carried out on active service; what the (i) verdict and (ii) sentence imposed was in each case; and how many cases against UK personnel involving prosecution for actions carried out on active service are underway.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 2 February 2006
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Active Service Prosecutions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the degree of liability for prosecution in respect of actions carried out by UK service personnel on active service when hostilities involving the United Kingdom (a) have and (b) have not been formally declared;
	(2)  to what extent and in what respects the applicability of the law on armed forces conflict is affected by whether the United Kingdom is combating (a) another country and (b) stateless insurgents and terrorists;
	(3)  by what means the chain of command in the UK armed forces protects service personnel on active service from prosecution arising from mistakes made in the course of combat; and whether such measures are affected by the existence or otherwise of a formal declaration of hostilities.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 2 February 2006
	The chain of command protects service personnel by ensuring that they are properly trained and equipped, understand their duty and are deployed appropriately. Members of HM armed forces are always subject to military law, which comprises the criminal law of England and Wales and specified disciplinary offences. Court-martial proceedings will only take place after a decision to prosecute by the relevant service prosecuting authority who acts independently and objectively, after consideration of the available evidence.
	A formal declaration of war or hostilities is not required to bring the law of armed conflict into effect, and whether a situation of armed conflict exists will depend on the facts and circumstances.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements (a) are in place and (b) will be made in future for the embedding of journalists with United Kingdom armed forces in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: There are currently no embedded journalists with UK armed forces in Afghanistan. As with other operational deployments, the Ministry of Defence will put in place appropriate arrangements to facilitate media access as outlined in 2MOD Working Arrangements With The Media For Use Throughout The Full Spectrum of Military Operations, more commonly known as The Green Book. This access will range from dealing with journalists who have travelled independently to the area, to MOD-organised visits for news and non-news media.
	These arrangements agreed between the MOD and representative media organisations, were put in place following the experience of the Falklands Campaign, and have recently been revised in full consultation with the media following the most recent experience in Iraq and elsewhere. The Green Book is available on the MOD website.
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/Reports/OtherPublications/GreenBook/TheGreenBook.htm

Afghanistan

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the (a) Harmony Guidelines and (b) Department public service agreement target 4 related to separated service will be breached as a result of troop deployments to Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: Although it is likely that the United Kingdom's planned deployment to Afghanistan in 2006 will result in a breach of the Harmony Guidelines in some areas, overall we judge that the impact on readiness for future operations is manageable.
	As the Ministry of Defence Public Service Agreement makes clear, the Department's ability to achieve Harmony Guidelines, including separated service assumptions, is dependent upon the level of operational activity the armed forces are asked to undertake, and must be taken together with other assessments to provide a comprehensive picture of the Department's performance.

Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) C-130 Hercules, (b) Tristar, (c) VC-10 and (d) C-17A Globemaster aircraft British forces have; and how many of each are fit for purpose.

Adam Ingram: The following table shows the number of C-130 Hercules (K and J variants), Tristar, VC10 and C-17A Globemaster aircraft that are planned to be in service with the RAF at the end of the present financial year (financial year 200506). Aircraft are deemed Fit For Purpose (FFP) if they are available for tasking within a 24 hour period. Aircraft are not available for tasking if they are undergoing scheduled maintenance, modification programmes or any other unforeseen rectification work that can arise on a day to day basis. The figures do not reflect the fact that an aircraft assessed as not FFP may be returned to the front line at very short notice to meet the operational need.
	
		
			   Aircraft type   Total fleet Numbers of aircraft FFP (average to date financial year 200506)(12) 
		
		
			 C-17AGlobemaster 4 3 
			 C-130K Hercules 25 10 
			 C-130J Hercules 25 13 
			 Tristar 9 4 
			 VC10 16 9 
		
	
	(12) Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of operational flying hours an RAF (a) C-130 Hercules, (b) Tristar, (c) VC-10 and (d) C-17A Globemaster aircraft was in each of the last 12 months.

Adam Ingram: The following table is derived from information held centrally on the number of hours flown by the respective aircraft type divided by the monthly average of aircraft Fit For Purpose.
	
		Hours per FFP aircraft2005
		
			  January February March April May June 
		
		
			 VC10 71 86 103 105 111 95 
			 C130JK 75 72 117 99 115 107 
			 C17 191 162 211 192 163 261 
			 Tristar 118 124 160 180 164 162 
		
	
	
		
			  July August September October November December 
		
		
			 VC10 102 114 116 122 119 72 
			 C130JK 103 99 88 84 96 114 
			 C17 239 244 177 221 178 236 
			 Tristar 196 137 155 155 118 102

Armed Forces (Family Relationships)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to help armed forces members strengthen their family relationships and avoid divorce; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence pursues a range of policies aimed at helping personnel achieve a better balance between their work and their personal lives, where this can be done without affecting operational effectiveness. Our long term strategies seek to reduce pressure by lengthening tour intervals, improving career development and, through our future basing strategy delivering improved family stability throughout consecutive tours. We also provide access to a wide range of welfare services, where service families can go for advice and support at all times. We maintain close links with mediation and support organisations such as RELATE to help ensure that additional specialist support is made available whenever required.

Citizens Juries

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department consulted citizens' juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens' jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens' jury.

Don Touhig: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2038W, on departmental staff (relocation), when he will write to the hon. Member for Twickenham.

Don Touhig: I replied to the hon. Member on Thursday 2 February 2006 and placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Correspondence

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letter of 21 September 2005 from the hon. Member for Worcester, reference 04427/2005, concerning Mr. Robert Smith and military medals for action in the Yemen.

Don Touhig: As was explained in my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces' letter of 20 August 2005 (reference: D/US of S/DT 35 51/05/A), although British Nationals were involved in military activities on behalf of the Royalist Government of Yemen in the mid-1960s, they were not acting as members of the British Army. Thus the Ministry of Defence was not responsible for the issue raised in Mr. Smith's latest letter. I wrote to the hon. Member on 4 February to explain in more detail the MOD's position regarding this case.

Defence Training

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider inviting the National Audit Office to oversee the bid evaluation process for the Defence Training Review Transformation Programme.

Don Touhig: The Defence Training Review (DTR) Programme already has a senior independent auditor assigned to oversee the evaluation process. I have no doubt, however, that the National Audit Office will keep a watching brief on the DTR Programme as part of its regular business.

Defensive Air Suite

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many C2 aircraft in the Defensive Air Suite were (a) operational and (b) unserviceable on 31 January.

Adam Ingram: On 31 January 2006 two RAF Tristar C2 passenger aircraft were available for operations. A third aircraft was undergoing scheduled maintenance. All three aircraft are fitted with a defensive aid suite and flight deck armour.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the items of his Department's property worth over 100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence discloses losses, in accordance with Government Accounting 2000, Chapter 18, within its Annual Report and Accounts. A copy for 200405 has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The Committee of Public Accounts has agreed a threshold of 100,000 for the detailed reporting of losses in 200405. All losses below this threshold are reported within the Annual Report and Accounts, but only as an aggregated number of cases and total value. The MOD only reports losses in exceptional cases during the financial year and, therefore, data are not yet available for FY 200506.
	For the purpose of responding to this question, it has been assumed that the term property relates to equipment and stores.
	Property which is lost is defined as a stores loss and is reported in the Annual Report and Accounts by the following categories:
	B1Loss arising from fraud, theft and arson.
	B2All other losses.
	For 200405, there were a total of 504 Bl and 8,304 B2 stores loss cases, i.e. an overall total of 8,808 stores losses. Eight were above the 100,000 reporting threshold and are disclosed in detail in Note 29 to the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts 200405.
	Detailed listings of stores lost below 100,000 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Breakages are accounted for either as a stores loss written off, as above, or as incurred through normal wear and tear. The latter are recorded at unit level in accordance with stores accounting regulations, but there is no requirement for formal disclosure within the Annual Report and Accounts. Details of breakages through normal wear and tear are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Depression/Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are applied when assessing whether service personnel suffering from (a) clinical depression and (b) post-traumatic stress disorder should (i) continue to be employed on peace-time duties and (ii) be deployed on active service.

Don Touhig: All instances of service personnel who are diagnosed as suffering from a mental health condition are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with input from the appropriate health professionals, including a consultant psychiatrist where necessary. In making a decision as to their deployability, all relevant factors will be taken into account, including the severity of the symptoms, the location and duration of the deployment, and the nature of the duties to be carried out. As a result of this process the individual may be medically downgraded and this in turn may prevent them from deploying on a particular operation or carrying out their normal duties in the United Kingdom.

Depression/Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made to ensure that service personnel on deployments have access to the medication required to manage (a) clinical depression and (b) post-traumatic stress disorder.

Don Touhig: Where an individual is suffering from clinical depression which is being effectively controlled by long-term medication, it is their personal responsibility to ensure that they deploy with sufficient quantities to last for the duration of their deployment. There are systems in place in theatre to re-supply patients who require further supplies of medication. However, sufficient stocks may not necessarily be held in theatre, and it is therefore incumbent on the individual to notify the deployed medical staff of their requirements in sufficient time for further supplies to be obtained.
	The treatment of post traumatic stress disorder is not primarily drugs-based. Non-pharmacological intervention is the mainstay of treatment for this condition, and personnel deployed on Operation TELIC have access to mental health professionals at Shaibah Logistics base.

Executive Agencies

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) targets, (b) advice and (c) guidance his Department has given to executive agencies that fall under the remit of his Department on the reorganisation of their administrative functions on a regional basis; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Agency key targets are set annually and agreed with the Department and Ministers, taking into account wider government objectives and priorities. The Department has set no specific targets for the executive agencies for reorganisation of their administrative functions on a regional basis. Where potential reorganisation is being considered, advice and guidance on regional aspects are provided in line with the Ministry of Defence's commitment under the Lyons Review.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department received in the first year of its operation.

Don Touhig: The number of requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) received by the Ministry of Defence in the first three quarters of 2005 was:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Quarter 1 1,843 
			 Quarter 2 1,039 
			 Quarter 3 851 
		
	
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly information about departmental performance under FOI, including the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the third quarter can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsjul-sep05.htm and in the Library of the House. Statistics for the fourth quarter and an annual report will be published in March.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on charging for information requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence operates in accordance with the Fees Regulations made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which stipulate that requests should be processed without charge unless the effort involved exceeds the appropriate limit of 600.
	Requests whose actual or estimated costs exceed the appropriate limit are not normally processed and there is accordingly no reason to charge for information. In this circumstance the MOD will assist the applicant to focus the scope of the request to bring it within the 600 threshold.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been received by his Department in fees for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of operation.

Don Touhig: No fees were collected by the Ministry of Defence for providing information in response to requests for information in the first year of the Act's operation.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the time taken to respond to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence aims to reply to all requests for information promptly and not later than 20 working days following the receipt of the request unless more time is required to consider the application of a qualified exemption or unless more time is allowed under the provisions of Statutory Instrument 2004 No. 3364.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 were refused by his Department in its first year of the Act's operation.

Don Touhig: The number of requests where information was either partially or fully withheld (and where it was granted in full) during the first three quarters of 2005 were:
	
		
			  Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 
		
		
			 Partially withheld 127 90 58 
			 Fully withheld 172 96 97 
			 Granted in full 1,146 643 506 
		
	
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly information about departmental performance under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI), including the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the third quarter can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsjul-sep05.htm and in the Library of the House. Statistics for the fourth quarter and an annual report will be published in March.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 were met within 20 working days by his Department in the first year of the Act's operation.

Don Touhig: The percentage of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) that were met within 20 working days by the Ministry of Defence during the first three quarters of 2005 were:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Quarter 1 71 
			 Quarter 2 80 
			 Quarter 3 80 
		
	
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly information about departmental performance under FOI, including the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the third quarter can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsjul-sep05.htm and in the Library of the House. Statistics for the fourth quarter and an annual report will be published in March.

Future Aircraft Carriers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that there is no conflict of interest in the secondment of the Managing Director of VT Shipbuilding to the position of Chief Executive of the Alliance Management Team for the Future Aircraft Carrier project.

Adam Ingram: The new Chief Executive of the Future Carrier (CVF) Alliance Management Team (AMT) will be seconded to the civil service for the period of his appointment and will be required to observe the general conditions of conduct applicable to civil servants. He will not be a member of the VT Board; his shares will be held in a trust; and he will require the Ministry of Defence's consent to take up any appointment, other than with his previous employer, within two years of the end of the secondment. Under the CVF governance arrangements, he will report to the Alliance Management Board, consisting of senior company representatives of each of the Alliance participants and chaired by the MOD.

Future Aircraft Carriers

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress on the future aircraft carrier programme.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 148WS, which outlines the major steps forward taken in our plans for the future aircraft carriers (CVF).
	Subsequently, we also announced, on 24 January, that we will be co-operating with France during the CVF demonstration phase to produce a common baseline design that both countries can further use to develop their own carriers. This will bring savings in design costs, without slowing the tempo of the project and offers the potential of savings on shared procurements. France will make a financial contribution in recognition of the investment UK has already made in the design (comprising 30 million now and 25 million in July with a further 45 million at the end of the demonstration phase if France decides to commit to manufacture) and will contribute one third of the demonstration phase costs of the common baseline design. France's role has been mutually agreed as one of influence rather than control, and as such they will not be able to direct changes to the design or programme.
	Having taken these significant decisions, we are on course to provide the UK armed forces with the largest and most powerful warships ever constructed in the UK, and an expeditionary capability unparalleled outside of the US.

Gulf War Veterans

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gulf war veterans diagnosed with multiple sclerosis have since developed symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Don Touhig: Medical records of individuals who have left the services, including veterans of the 199091 Gulf conflict, are held by each service at individual central locations; however the Ministry of Defence does not hold records of illnesses arising since an individual has left the service. Medical records for those still serving are not normally held at a central location but at their unit medical centre. The information requested cannot therefore be provided.

Harmony Guidelines

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is possible to ascertain whether the Harmony Guidelines related to separated service have been breached on an individual basis for each service.

Adam Ingram: All three services have procedures in place that monitor individual harmony and are able to report when the guidelines have been breached.

HELEN Laser

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HELEN laser at Aldermaston; what its future purpose is; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the (a) role is and (b) functions are of the proposed new laser at AWE Aldermaston.

John Reid: In 2001 a review of the capability provided by the HELEN laser identified a requirement to replace it in order to attain, under laboratory conditions, previously inaccessible temperature and pressure regimes akin to those actually obtained in a nuclear weapon. This was deemed essential to underwrite the continued safety and reliability of the Trident nuclear warhead stockpile in the nuclear test ban era.
	Accordingly, we shall be replacing HELENwhich has given 25 years of useful servicewith the ORION laser, whose primary role will be to enable the safety and reliability of the Trident stockpile to be underwritten through the remainder of its service life. Until its planned decommissioning in 2008, HELEN will continue to be used for worthwhile experiments both in support of Trident and as a test bed for some of the technologies and equipment to be used on the ORION laser.

Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of operational flying hours undertaken by an RAF (a) Chinook, (b) Merlin, (c) Sea King and (d) Puma helicopter was in each month in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

Adam Ingram: In answering the question I have assumed that the hon. Gentleman is referring to hours flown on operations. The total number of operational hours flown by aircraft type has been recorded by month since the beginning of financial year (FY) 200506. The monthly average 1 for a RAF Chinook, Merlin and Puma, for the period April to December 2005, is shown in the following table:
	
		Average operational hours per individual aircraft type FY 200506
		
			  Aircraft type 
			  RAF Chinook RAF Merlin RAF Puma 
		
		
			 April 2005 0:00 58:41 28:42 
			 May 2005 0:00 62:11 29:23 
			 June 2005 0:00 72:51 31:06 
			 July 2005 3:58 59:38 27:09 
			 August 2005 27:42 54:30 31:24 
			 September 2005 76:20 67:16 27:38 
			 October 2005 20:49 115:12 25:36 
			 November 2005 93:06 68:51 28:40 
			 December 2005 33:10 38:25 23:50 
		
	
	Prior to April 2005, the hours flown on operations were recorded as an annual total per aircraft type. An average monthly total has been calculated 2 and is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Aircraft type Financial year 200405 
		
		
			 RAF Chinook 56 
			 RAF Merlin 10 
			 RAF Puma 22 
		
	
	The Sea Kings operated by the RAF are dedicated to the UK Search and Rescue capability and have, therefore, not been included in the figures provided.
	1 This has been calculated by dividing the monthly operational flying hours by the number of aircraft deployed on operations.
	2 The calculation used is: total annual operational flying hours divided by 12 giving an average monthly figure which is then divided by the monthly average number of aircraft type deployed on operations.

Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2006, Official Report, column 664W, on helicopters, what the current operational status is of each of the Merlin helicopters operated by each of the services.

Adam Ingram: On 23 January 2006, of the 24 Merlin helicopters in the RN operational Fleet, 16 were serviceable. Of the 15 aircraft in the RAF's operational Fleet, five were serviceable.
	The number of available RAF Merlin helicopters is lower than usual and reflects post-Operation TELIC recovery, pre-Operation TELIC preparation and an industry programme to bring the RAF Merlin helicopters up to the baseline specification.
	It is not Ministry of Defence policy to have all its aircraft available at the front line during peacetime. Rather the Department's maintenance and support policies are designed to ensure that the maximum number of aircraft can be made available at the highest readiness state, should the operational need arise.

HMS Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has entered into with the US company Odyssey regarding the salvage of HMS Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Caplin), on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 898W.

Iraq

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the net additional cost of operations in Iraq expressed as a percentage of (a) the total defence budget and (b) total government spending was in each year since 200203.

John Reid: The costs of specific conflict prevention activities (including security and peace-building tasks) are voted for separately by Parliament, through either the HM Treasury Reserve or the Conflict Prevention Pools. As such, these funds do not form part of the Defence budget and cannot be expressed as a percentage of it.
	The following table sets out the MOD budget, cost of operations in Iraq, and Government's Total Managed Expenditure for the three years 200203 to 200405.
	
		
			 Financial year MOD budget ( billion) Cost of operations in Iraq ( billion) Government total managed expenditure ( billion) Cost of operations in Iraq as percentage of Government TME 
		
		
			 200203 29.3 0.847 417.970 0.20 
			 200304 30.9 1.311 455.233 0.29 
			 200405 29.7 0.910 487.300 0.19

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mental health services are available to troops serving in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: UK troops in Iraq are supported by a mental health team based at Shaibah Logistics base which is currently staffed by two community psychiatric nurses.
	In addition, there is a programme of visits to theatre by a consultant psychiatrist. These are undertaken primarily for clinical governance purposes, but the visiting consultant will also provide advice on particular patients as required.
	If further advice or treatment is required that cannot be provided in theatre, the patient will be aero medically evacuated out of Iraq for treatment in the UK or at UK defence community mental health centres in Cyprus, Germany and Gibraltar.

Iraq/Afghanistan

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2342W, on Iraq/Afghanistan, what recent discussions he has had with the central criminal court of Iraq on the incident at Al Majarr Al Kabir on 24 June 2003.

Adam Ingram: We are continuing to offer all possible support to help bring the perpetrators to justice. A British liaison officer, stationed in Baghdad, provides assistance to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq as required. Progress is being made, but as this is an ongoing criminal investigation and outside British jurisdiction, it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Nimrod Project

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the bid made in July 2005 by BAE Systems for the next phase of the Nimrod project; and when a decision on the bid is likely to be made.

Adam Ingram: The bid is under review by the MOD approving authorities. A production decision will be taken as soon as possible once we are in a position to take it.

Nimrod Project

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the work force employed at Woodford of the delay in a decision on the bid for the next phase of the Nimrod project.

Adam Ingram: While the long term future of the Woodford site is a matter for BAE Systems, the MOD has funded further low risk production work on the Nimrod programme until the middle of this year. This will preserve the viability of the MRA4 project and the expertise of the work force until a decision is taken on full production.

Nuclear Deterrent

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the basis was for the decision to choose the Atomic Weapons Establishment to provide the warheads for the UK's nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: The Atomic Weapons Establishment is the sole repository for the UK's nuclear deterrent capability. The Government-owned facilities at Aldermaston and Burghfield were built for that purpose and remain a unique and essential national asset.

Pension Contributions

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 200506.

Don Touhig: Pension contributions are disclosed at Note 2 within the published Departmental Resource Accounts. Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts for 200203 to 200405 have been placed in the Library of the House. The table details the total pension contributions incurred by the Department, for all personnel (military and civilian) for the years requested.
	
		
			  Pension costs ( million) 
		
		
			 200203 1,357.7 
			 200304 1,442.7 
			 200405 1,486.8 
		
	
	The self accounting non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) fall outside the Departmental Boundary of the Departmental Resource Accounts. Pension contributions for employees of these organisations are disclosed as a Note to their published accounts. Copies of the published accounts have been placed in the Library.
	The following table details the pension contribution incurred by NDPBs for the years requested.
	
		
			
			  National Army Museum Royal Air Force Museum Fleet Air Arm Museum Royal Marines Museum Royal Navy Museum Royal Navy Submarine Museum 
		
		
			 200203 249,352 203,035 28,034 38,374 90,476 29,529 
			 200304 245,069 180,286 29,533 39,182 90,049 28,968 
			 200405 (13) (13) (13) (13) (13) (13) 
		
	
	(13) Not yet published.
	The Defence Executive Agencies established as Trading Funds fall outside the Departmental Boundary of the Departmental Resource Accounts. Pension contributions for employees of these organisations are disclosed as a Note to their published accounts. Copies of the published accounts have been placed in the Library.
	The following table details the pension contributions incurred by Defence Executive Agencies for the years requested.
	
		 million
		
			  UK Hydrographic Office Met Office Defence Science  Technology Laboratory Defence Aviation Repair Agency Army Base Repair Organisation 
		
		
			 200203 3.0 7.6 12.6 12.4 5.7 
			 200304 3.0 8.0 13.5 11.3 6.0 
			 200405 3.2 7.9 13.9 10.5 6.0 
		
	
	The Oil and Pipeline Agency is a Public Corporation sponsored by the Department, which falls outside the Departmental Boundary of the Departmental Resource Accounts. Pension contributions for employees of this organisation are disclosed as a Note to the published accounts. Copies of the published accounts have been placed in the Library.
	The following table details the pension contribution incurred by the Oil  Pipeline Agency for the years requested.
	
		
			  Pension contribution () 
		
		
			 200203 118 
			 200304 128 
			 200405 152 
		
	
	For 200506, employers' contributions for the majority of civilians are payable to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) at one of four rates in the ranges 16.2 to 24.6 per cent. of pensionable pay, based on salary bands. The Scheme Actuary reviews employer contributions every four years following a full scheme valuation; last carried out as at 31 March 2003. The contribution rates reflect the cost of benefits as they accrue (net of employee contributions), not the costs as they are actually incurred, and reflect past experience of the scheme. Contributions are also payable to Teachers' Superannuation Scheme, NHS Superannuation Scheme and Defined Benefit Schemes for the Royal Navy Museum (9 per cent.) and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum (12.5 per cent.).
	For Service personnel, employers' contributions are made to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) based on rates determined by the Government Actuary. The applicable rates for 200506 are 33.8 per cent. of pensionable pay for officers and 18.2 per cent. for other ranks.
	The Department does not collect information on a regional basis and any analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

QinetiQ

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the extra costs of extending the offer of some QinetiQ shares to the public.

John Reid: Members of the public may already apply for shares, as is the case in any institutional offer. They can do so through a private client stockbroker. Members of the public will also be able to buy shares in QinetiQ once trading has commenced.
	The extra costs of a retail offer based on previous Government flotations, were estimated to be between 5 million (administrative costs only) and 23 million (including associated marketing and retail incentives). Based on advice from our financial advisers, it is the Government's view that a retail offer for QinetiQ would not offer value for money for the taxpayer.

QinetiQ

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to place restrictions on QinetiQ's acceptance of contracts from foreign governments following its flotation.

John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Duncan) on 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 1982W.

QinetiQ

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will allow private investors to participate in the flotation of QinetiQ.

John Reid: Yes. As is the case in any institutional offer, members of the public may apply for shares through a private client stockbroker, although there will be no allocation of shares reserved for that purpose. Members of the public will also be able to buy shares in QinetiQ once trading has commenced.

RAF C130 Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) highest and (b) lowest monitored serviceability readiness rates for RAF C130 aircraft of each type have been in the last three years.

Adam Ingram: The term 'Serviceability readiness rate' is not a term used by the RAF. The following table shows, in each calendar year 1 , the highest and lowest monthly numbers of RAF C130 aircraft fit for purpose together with total fleet numbers 2 . Aircraft are deemed fit for purpose if they are available for tasking within a 24 hour period. Aircraft are not available for tasking if they are undergoing scheduled maintenance, modification programmes or any other unforeseen rectification work that can arise on a day to day basis. The figures do not reflect the fact that an aircraft assessed as not fit for purpose may be returned to the front line at very short notice to meet the operational need.
	1 Figures are not available for January to June 2003.
	2 Total fleet numbers are those aircraft that are planned to be in service with the RAF at the end of FY 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06 respectively.
	
		Fit for purpose aircraft numbers
		
			  2003 2004 2005 
			  Highest Lowest Highest Lowest Highest Lowest 
		
		
			 Hercules C-130K 12 8 13 8 11 8 
			 Total Fleet 26 26 25 
			 Hercules C130J 14 11 15 11 16 11 
			 Total Fleet 25 25 25

Regulatory Reform Orders

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regulatory reform orders his Department has laid before Parliament in each of the last five calendar years.

Don Touhig: None.

Rest and Relaxation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider changing the start and finish dates of the rest and relaxation periods of troops from the date on which they leave and arrive in theatre to the date that they arrive in and leave the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: Rest and Recuperation (R and R) provides service personnel, on mentally and challenging deployments, a respite from a stressful operational environment in order to sustain their operational effectiveness. R and R should not, therefore, be considered as compensation for separation from family and friends. Post Operational Leave (POL) exists to meet this requirement (the entitlement to POL does begin on the day that service personnel leave their permanent duty station). Depending on the exigencies of service, the operational chain of command will authorise the time, location and duration of any period of R and R, basing their decisions on published guidelines. We have recently carried out a review of all leave and absence types in the light of the advent of the new tri-service joint personnel administration (JPA) system, which will roll out on a single-service basis throughout 2006. It was not considered appropriate for the qualifying period of deployment for R and R to begin before personnel arrive in theatre.

Royal Air Force

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) pilots, (b) fighter aircraft, (c) transport aircraft and (d) helicopters are (i) available to and (ii) deployable by the Royal Air Force; and what the equivalent numbers were in 2000.

Adam Ingram: Table A gives the fast jet, transport and rotary aircraft operating Fleets available to the RAF for the purposes of deployment, training and exercises in 2005 and 2000. The figures include aircraft piloted by Royal Navy personnel as part of Joint Force Harrier, which for resource purposes falls within the RAF. The figures exclude rotary aircraft piloted by RAF personnel, but which are part of Joint Helicopter Command, which for resource purposes fall outside the RAF.
	The figures do not include aircraft in the sustainment Fleet, which comprises aircraft necessary to sustain the operating fleet to the out-of-service date of the aircraft type and aircraft in deep maintenance.
	
		Table A: In-service
		
			 Aircraft type 2000 2005 
		
		
			 Fast Jet 328 283 
			 Transport 85 85 
			 Rotary 19 23 
		
	
	Although all of the aircraft in the operating fleet are potentially 'deployable', Table B gives the maximum number of 'force elements' which would have been deployed to meet the most demanding scenarios (short of full scale war) against which we planned in 2000 and 2005. A force element represents a fully capable aircraft available for immediate operational tasking. The actual number of aircraft that would be deployed at any one time would, however, be greater than the figures in Table B in order to provide a margin to take into account reliability and serviceability requirements and operational factors.
	
		Table B: Deployable force elements
		
			 Aircraft type 2000 2005 
		
		
			 Fast Jet 107 80 
			 Transport 85 83 
			 Rotary 19 17 
		
	
	The reduction in the number of fast jet force elements in Table B is due to the reassessment of potential scenarios and tasking which was set out in The Command Paper Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities, published in July 2004. This paper set out the changes necessary to both structure and capabilities to ensure that our armed forces are best placed to meet the principal security challenges of the future: international terrorism, the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and weak and failing states.
	On 1 December 2005 there were 2,130 trained pilots in the RAF. On 1 December 2000 there were 2,180 trained pilots. Subject to their achieving the required medical standards all RAF personnel are potentially deployable.

Royal Ordnance Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department revalidated outsourced components previously provided by Royal Ordnance Chorley.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 January 2006
	Yes.

Service Widows/Widowers

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pension the (a) widow and (b) widower of a former member of HM armed service personnel is entitled to if they did not (i) work or (ii) pay national insurance contributions.

Don Touhig: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to pension entitlements of the widow or widower in their own right, rather than in relation to the spouse's service in the armed forces. The widow or widower of a former member of the armed forces who has not worked or paid national insurance contributions is entitled to exactly the same pension benefits as a widow or widower with no armed forces connection. The benefits are based on the late spouse's national insurance contribution record.

Sonic Boom Technology

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any naval vessels equipped with underwater sonic boom radar technology were operating in the vicinity of the Thames (a) estuary or (b) mouth on (i) 19 and (ii) 20 January; and what assessment he has made of the effect of sonic boom technology on marine wildlife.

Adam Ingram: No Royal Navy vessels were using military sonar in the vicinity of the Thames estuary or the mouth of the Thames on either 19 or 20 of January.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes its responsibilities for the environment very seriously. However, there continues to be a vital requirement for the United Kingdom to maintain a maritime capability to protect crucial lines of communication, to participate in operational activities and to be able to address potential mine and submarine threats, now and in the future. To ensure that our military capabilities in these areas are fully maintained, it is imperative that we continue to use active sonar, both now and in the foreseeable future.
	Furthermore, sonar is essential to protect UK waters and ensure safe navigation. That said, this certainly does not imply that our sonar activities are undertaken without the fullest possible respect for the environment.
	Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are undertaken for a wide range of our activities in the marine environment, including sonar. Such EIAs cover the marine habitat of the operating area concerned and the species likely to be encountered. The EIAs are used to better tailor the activity and ensure that potentially damaging effects are identified during the planning stage of the exercise and reduced their impact to an absolute minimum. With the same aim in view, we have also issued instructions to all our ships' Commanding Officers for the operational use of sonar in the marine environment. This guidance employs the precautionary principle of 'Plan, Look, Listen and Act'.
	While we believe that our operating procedures reflect the best scientific advice and provide a sustainable balance between the need for effective military training and the need to protect our marine environment, we are certainly not complacent. The MOD continues to be closely involved in research, in the UK, with the US and NATO authorities, and in other international forums into the possible effects of sonar noise on marine life. Should any new research provide evidence of a link between our method of using sonar and a detrimental effect on marine life, we would, of course, consider what further mitigation measures might be possible. In the meantime, the current measures reflect the best scientific advice available.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the statutory instruments introduced by his Department since 6 May 2005.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has introduced the following statutory instruments since 6 May 2005.
	2005 1388 Unfitness to Stand Trial and Insanity (Royal Air Force) Regulations
	2005 1389 Unfitness to Stand Trial and Insanity (Royal Navy) Regulations
	2005 1390 Unfitness to Stand Trial and Insanity (Army) Regulations
	2005 1470 The Dockyard Port of Portsmouth Order 2005
	2005 1471 Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death)(Service Pensions (Amendment) (No2) Order
	2005 1534 Standing Civilian Courts (Amendment)
	2005 1535 Courts-Martial (Amendment) Rules
	2005 1536 Summary Appeal Courts (Amendment) Rules
	2005 1639 Personal Injuries (Civilians) (Amendment) (No.2) Scheme
	2005 2021 Army, Air Force and Naval Discipline Acts (Continuation) Order
	2005 2861 Armed Forces Act 2001 (Commencement) (No.5) Order
	2005 3031 Personal Injuries (Civilians) (Amendment) (No.3) Scheme
	2005 3032 War Pensions Committees (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 3033 War Pensions (Mercantile Marine) (Amendment) Scheme
	2005 3040 Pensions (Polish Forces) Scheme (Amendment) Order
	2005 3107 Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Act 2004 (Commencement) (No. 3) Order
	2005 3118 Reserve Forces (Provision of Information by Persons Liable to be Recalled) (Amendment) Regulations
	2005 3184 Navy and Marines (Property of Deceased) (Amendment) Order
	2005 3185 Naval Medical Compassionate Fund (Amendment) Order
	2005 3186 Service Departments Registers (Amendment) Order
	2005 3187 Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions (Amendment) (No3) Order
	2005 3188 Civil Partnership (Armed Forces) Order
	2005 3189 Ulster Defence Regiment (Amendment) Order
	2005 3447 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Sites) Order
	2005 3478 Armed Forces Proceedings (Costs) Regulations
	2005 3483 Courts-Martial (Army) (Amendment) Rules
	2005 3484 Courts Martial (Royal Navy) (Amendment) Rules
	2005 3485 Courts Martial (Royal Air Force) (Amendment) Rules
	2005 3486 Summary Appeal Court (Army) (Amendment) Rules
	2005 3487 Summary Appeal Court (Navy) (Amendment) Rules
	2005 3488 Summary Appeal Court (Air Force) (Amendment) Rules
	2006 55 The Armed Forces Redundancy Scheme Order

Territorial Army

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength is of the territorial army in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Lancashire and (e) Chorley; and how many posts are vacant.

Don Touhig: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. Official strength figures for the Territorial Army (TA) are collated for the United Kingdom and not its constituent nations, counties or towns. As at 1 December 2005, the total strength of the TA was 37,430 against an establishment of 41,610.
	Notes:
	This figure includes 1,180 mobilized personnel and 5,750 members of the Officer Training Corps but excludes 1,070 Non Regular Permanent Staff. Full Time Reserve Service personnel are also excluded The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which units of the Territorial Army the 12,000 fit and deployable personnel are deployed.

Don Touhig: The 13,450 personnel available to be deployed as at 1 January 2006, are from across all units of the Territorial Army.
	This figure excludes those who have not completed their mandatory training, those who are in the process of being discharged; all currently mobilized and deployed personnel, those who have exceeded the Ministry of Defence limits 1 on mobilized service of a total of 12 months in every 60; and all members of the University Officer Training Corps.
	1 statutory limits on mobilized service (Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996) limits mobilization to a total of 12 months in every 36

Territorial Army

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) drivers and (b) clergy in the Territorial Army have been mobilised more than once in the last five years;
	(2)  how many (a) administrative, (b) ammunition, (c) construction, (d) catering, (e) petroleum, (f) policing, (g) medical, (h) logistical, (i) legal, (j) linguistic and (k) electrical engineering specialists in the Territorial Army have been mobilised more than once in the last five years.

Don Touhig: The information requested is contained in the table below. Figures include individuals who may have reported for mobilization but subsequently did not mobilize for medical or other reasons. Information on individuals in this category is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Specialist area Number of personnel 
		
		
			 Drivers 145 
			 Clergy 2 
			 Administrative 18 
			 Construction 1 
			 Catering 0 
			 Petroleum 1 
			 Policing 5 
			 Medical 88 
			 Logistical 276 
			 Legal 0 
			 Linguistic 0 
			 Electrical Engineering 3

Unexploded Ordnance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much unexploded ordnance discovered was (a) exploded and (b) defused in each of the last 20 years.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 2 February 2006
	This information is not held.

Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the use of Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicles stationed with 4 Armoured Brigade after redeployment of that unit from Germany to Catterick in 200809.

Adam Ingram: 4th Armoured Brigade becomes 4th Mechanised Brigade during 2006 and will redeploy to Catterick in 200809, retaining a single Warrior Battalion. As the hon. Member will be aware, a Mechanised Brigade contains one Armoured Infantry Battalion equipped with Warrior.
	In preparation for its re-roling to a Mechanised Brigade, 4th Armoured Brigade has already re-roled its second Armoured Infantry Battalion. The surplus equipment from this re-role will be reinvested back into other elements of the Army to increase capability across the force structure.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadcast/Print Media Analysis

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on the use of broadcast and print media analysis.

James Purnell: We are undertaking our first evaluation of the effectiveness of our media relations at present. It is a useful tool, which allows us to monitor how effectively we are communicating departmental policies with the objective of ensuring value for money.

Broadcast/Print Media Analysis

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned research into the presence and reporting in the (i) broadcast and (ii) print media of hon. Members other than Ministers of her Department since 5 May 2005.

James Purnell: The Department has not undertaken or commissioned any research of this nature.

Casinos

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authorities have indicated to the Casino Advisory Panel that they are interested in a (a) regional casino, (b) large casino, (c) small casino and (d) a combination of these types of casino.

Richard Caborn: The Casino Advisory Panel wrote to all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2005, inviting them to give a provisional indication of their likely interest in securing the right to issue one of the 17 new casinos premises licences permitted by the Gambling Act 2005. The information requested is set out in the following table, and includes all responses received by the panel up to 11 January 2006.
	
		
			  Type of casino Number of expressions of interest 
		
		
			 Regional(14) 46 
			 Large 7 
			 Small 8 
			 Mixture of large and small 5 
			 One of the above (not specified) 9 
			 Total 75 
		
	
	(14) Where a local authority has not indicated clearly which type of casino it is interested in, or has indicated that it is interested in a mixture of casinos including a regional casino, the panel has included the authority in the regional casino premises licence total.

Casinos

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the local authorities which have informed the Casino Advisory Panel that they wish to be considered for a regional casino.

Richard Caborn: The following local authorities have expressed an interest in securing the right to issue the one regional casino premises permitted under the Gambling Act 2005: Birmingham; Blackpool; Brent; Canterbury; Cardiff; Chesterfield; Coventry; Glasgow; Great Yarmouth; Greenwich; Havering; Hull; Ipswich; Leeds; Luton; Maidstone; Manchester; Middlesbrough; Newcastle; Renfrewshire; Sheffield; Solihull; Southampton; Southend-on-Sea; Sunderland; Wakefield; West Dunbartonshire.
	The following local authorities have either not indicated clearly which type of casino they are interested in, or have indicated that they are interested in a mixture of new casinos including a regional casino. For the purposes of its scoping exercise, the Casino Advisory Panel has included these authorities in the regional casino premises licence total: Bedford; Bolsover; Bury; Cannock Chase; Dumfries and Galloway; East Lindsey; Havant; Hertsmere; Leicester; Mansfield; North Lanarkshire; North Somerset; Restormel; Salford; Scarborough; Sevenoaks; South Lanarkshire; Stevenage; Tewkesbury.

Chamber Music

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants of public money have been made available to chamber music groups in each of the last three years; and how much was granted for the purpose of establishing (a) trios, (b) quartets and (c) quintets.

David Lammy: Government funding for chamber music is primarily channelled through Arts Council England. Over the last three years, this funding has been in excess of 1.75 million per year and has supported the development, touring and promotion of chamber music throughout England. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of this figure for trios, quartets and quintets.

Cultural Goods (Security)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will seek to legislate to guarantee the security of national cultural goods on loan from other countries; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 543W.

Database Rights

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what progress has been made in the implementation of the European Court of Justice ruling on database rights in relation to horse racing;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the likely effects on football of the European Court of Justice ruling on database rights.

Richard Caborn: Following the EJC ruling on database rights the British Horseracing Board asked Lord Donoughue to report on alternative funding mechanisms for horseracing. Lord Donoughue reported in December 2005 and we are now consulting the industry on his findings.
	The professional football leagues report that the ECJ ruling will cost them in excess of 6 million from lost income. The Government are working with the leagues to help them identify sources of replacement funding.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the items of departmental property worth over 100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: In the last 12 months the departmental property items reported lost or broken, valued at over 100 were:
	(a) Lost itemsone PC and one mobile phone
	(b) Broken itemstwo Blackberry devices

Digital Television

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Government have spent on promoting the take-up of digital television.

James Purnell: holding answer 20 January 2006
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have spent 170,000 in 200405 on the promotion of digital switchover. In 200506 the total budget will be 320,000.

Disabled Swimmers (London)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what facilities are being developed to encourage disabled swimmers in London.

Richard Caborn: British Swimming (ASA in England) is one of the leading national governing bodies in terms of inclusion and it is encouraging and supporting participation by disabled people at all levels of the sport. They have a disability section with dedicated staff.
	ASA is working with pool operators to encourage more people with a disability to swim through the Everyday Swim campaign, funded by Sport England.
	ASA is re-launching its Swim 21 club accreditation scheme in April 2006 with the aim of encouraging its mainstream and disability sections to work together for the benefit of all swimmers. They are also about to enter into a 'service level agreement' with the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) regarding the promotion and development of opportunities for disabled swimmers.

Disabled Swimmers (London)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the 50 metre public swimming pools within London which have facilities for the disabled.

Richard Caborn: There are currently two 50 metre swimming pools in London, one at Crystal Palace and one in the London borough of Ealing. A further three 50 metre pools are proposed for London, including one in the London borough of Hillingdon and two at the new Aquatic Centre in Stratford.
	The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) requires that all service providers must take reasonable measures to remove, alter or provide a reasonable means of avoiding physical barriers to accessing and using their premises. In August 2005 I wrote to all local authorities reminding them of their responsibilities under the DDA in the context of leisure and tourism facilities.

Early Retirement

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many departmental employees have took retirement due to ill health in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

David Lammy: During the past five years there have been less than five ill health retirements in any one year in the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and therefore figures cannot be released on the grounds of confidentiality.

Engagements

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions since 2001 the Sports Minister has been a guest at a horse race meeting in the UK; who hosted the Minister on each occasion; and what hospitality he received.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 2 February 2006
	As the Minister for Sport I have been a guest at horserace meetings on 11 occasions since 2001 (as detailed in the table). Hospitality has been in the form of access to the racecourse, the use of private box facilities, lunch and refreshments.
	
		
			 Date of meeting Racecourse Hospitality provided by 
		
		
			 15 September 2001 Doncaster Ladbrokes 
			 14 March 2002 Cheltenham The Horserace Totalisator Board 
			 5 April 2003 Aintree The racecourse management 
			 10 July 2003 Newmarket The racecourse management 
			 26 July 2003 Ascot The racecourse management 
			 20 August 2003 York The Horserace Totalisator Board 
			 16 March 2004 Cheltenham Ladbrokes 
			 3 April 2004 Aintree The racecourse management 
			 18 August 2004 York The Horserace Totalisator Board  (Tote) 
			 17 March 2005 Cheltenham Ladbrokes 
			 30 November 2005 Plumpton British Horseracing Board

English National Opera

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects English National Opera's accounts for 200506 to be published.

David Lammy: I understand that English National Opera must register its audited accounts for the year-end March 2006 with Companies House by 31 January 2007.

Folk Dance and Song

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will promote English folk dance and song; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Government support for English folk dance and song is primarily channelled through Arts Council England, which funds a number of organisations who promote and develop these art forms.
	Furthermore Sport England sponsors the English Folk Dance and Song Society to promote and educate young people in schools about the English folk tradition.

Free Television Licence (Coventry South)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners over 75 years in Coventry, South are in receipt of a free television licence.

James Purnell: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Coventry, South constituency in 200405 was 5,740, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

Gambling

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what regulations apply to fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in betting shops; and what plans the Government have for (FOBTs);
	(2)  what guidance she has issued on permitted locations for fixed odds betting terminals under the (a) Gambling Act 2005 and (b) Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004.

Richard Caborn: Fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are regulated by a code of practice agreed by the Association of British Bookmakers, DCMS and the then Gaming Board of Great Britain (now the Gambling Commission).
	Under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 (expected to come into force in late 2007), FOBTs will be categorised as B2 gaming machines and regulated accordingly.
	There are no provisions in the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 relating to FOBTs.

Licensed Opening Hours

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to local authorities on whether the extension of a licensed premises' opening hours, without any increase in the licensed premises area or capacity, would count as a material variation for the purposes of a cumulative impact special policy.

James Purnell: An extension of the hours during which alcohol can be sold might or might not be a material variation, depending upon its effect on the cumulative impact on the licensing objectives being experienced in the area of the special policy.
	It is for the local licensing authority, in the first instance, to judge if an application to vary is material, and, if a decision is subject to legal challenge, for the courts to then rule definitively.

Licensing Act

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will grant an exception from the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 in relation to an application for a temporary events licence by small musical or dramatic groups performing for charity; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: The definition of regulated entertainment, and exemptions to it, are set out in schedule 1 of the Licensing Act 2003.
	We currently have no plans to introduce any further exemptions. The fact that an event is being held for charity does not make it inherently less of a risk to the licensing objectives. Exemptions for charitable events were debated at length during the passage of the Licensing Bill. The temporary event notice regime is very light touch in order to reflect the reduced risk at such small, time limited events and requires no more than a temporary event notice to be submitted to the licensing authority and the police at least 10 working days before the event is due to take place. The fee for giving a notice is set at 21, a level which is sufficient to recover the costs of the regime to licensing authorities.

Licensing Act

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 1008W, on the Licensing Act 2003, to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May), what definition her Department uses of the term material variation.

James Purnell: Paragraph 3.19 of the guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 refers to, but does not further define, the words material variations. In that context, a material variation is one which is material to the cumulative impact on the licensing objectives being experienced in the area of the special policy. It is for the licensing authority, in the first instance, to judge if an application to vary is material, and, if a decision is subject to legal challenge, for the courts to rule definitively.

Licensing Act

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many establishments have applied for extended opening hours under provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Huddersfield.

James Purnell: This information is not held centrally.

Licensing Act

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many premises licensed to serve alcohol have been granted 24 hour licences; and in what local authority areas they are located.

James Purnell: Based on a DCMS telephone survey of licensing authorities, we estimate that around 1,000 licences have been granted permitting the sale of alcohol for 24 hours. Of these, approximately 330 have been for pubs and nightclubs, approximately 360 for supermarkets, and approximately 130 for off-licences and convenience stores. Information on the number of 24 hour licences held in each licensing authority area is not currently held centrally.

Licensing Act

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the change in the levels of (a) antisocial and (b) violent behaviour following the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003.

James Purnell: It is too early to draw firm conclusions about the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on the level of antisocial and violent behaviour.
	The Government will continue to monitor the impact of the new legislation closely, including a programme of evaluation being conducted by the Home Office into the impact of the licensing reforms on crime and disorder.

Licensing Act

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effects of the Licensing Act 2003 on levels of crime and disorder in Tamworth.

James Purnell: It is too early to draw firm conclusions about the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on the level of crime and disorder, either across the country or in any one area.
	The Government will continue to monitor the impact of the new legislation closely, including a programme of evaluation being conducted by the Home Office into the impact of the licensing reforms on crime and disorder

Licensing Act

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research the Government have (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the effect on noise of the Licensing Act 2003.

James Purnell: A report entitled 'Implications for noise disturbance arising from liberalisation of Licensing Laws' was produced for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by MCM Research Ltd. and published in October 2003.
	The principal aim of the study was to assess the potential impacts of the reform of the licensing laws on noise disturbance related, directly or indirectly, to the operation of licensed premises. The Report is accessible on: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise/research/mcm/index.htm
	It is too early to assess the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on noise, and so the Government have not conducted or commissioned any formal research. However, any issues around noise are likely to emerge from the Scrutiny Council process. We are working closely with a sample of local authorities to monitor delivery of the 2003 Act and assess the extent to which strategic aims are being achieved. This in turn is part of a wider monitoring and evaluation exercise to assess the practical implementation of the Act.

London Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she made of the likely effects of the European Court of Justice ruling on database rights on the governance of betting at the London 2012 Olympics;
	(2)  how the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games plans to implement the commitments given to the International Olympic Committee on betting in the Host City Contract for the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on database rights will not affect the Government's plans for the governance of betting on the London 2012 Olympics.
	The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games is aware of its commitments under the Host City Contract and has discussed this with Government. We have stated that we do not intend to legislate on this issue. The onus must remain on governing bodies and the organisers of sporting events to protect the integrity of their own events. From September 2007, all betting operators in Great Britain will be regulated by the Gambling Commission, a powerful new regulator with robust powers of investigation and prosecution. The Commission will work closely with sporting and Olympic authorities to minimise potential threats to the integrity of Olympic events.

London Olympics

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the Olympic Tourism Charter announced by the Prime Minister on 15 November 2005; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: I am arranging for copies of the Tourism 2012 Charter to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The Charter outlines the challenges and opportunities of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games for the tourism sector across Britain, and sets out some of the key areas in which the Government and its partners bodies will work to prepare for the Games and ensure that they leave a lasting legacy for the visitor economy. My Department will, in partnership with VisitBritain and Visit London, shortly begin a wide consultation of the tourism sector, which will inform the Tourism 2012 Strategy before the end of 2006.

Lyons Inquiry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has sent a written submission to the Lyons Inquiry on local government finance.

David Lammy: The Lyons Inquiry is independent of the Government. Sir Michael Lyons will decide what to publish when he makes available his final report.

National Lottery

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which (a) village halls and (b) community centres in the Uxbridge constituency have received lottery funding since 1997.

Richard Caborn: There is no definition on the lottery awards database of village halls or community centres. Buildings with shared community use have benefited thanks to lottery money awarded to the following recipients:
	Fountains Mill Youth Centre;
	The Uxbridge Community Centre;
	Ickenham Village Hall Association Ltd.;
	London Borough of Hillingdon (which went to Bishop Ramsey Secondary School; Douay Martyrs School) and
	St. Mary's, Northolt.

Punch and Judy Shows

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from professors of Punch and Judy shows on the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on such shows.

James Purnell: holding answer 2 February 2006
	We have recently received a number of representations about the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on Punch and Judy shows, including those from the hon. Member, and we have previously considered representations from Equity on this issue.

School Sport (Funding)

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the 750 million pledged for school sport at the 2000 Labour Party Conference has been (a) committed, (b) spent and (c) allocated to the Football Foundation.

Richard Caborn: The New Opportunities for PE and Sport (NOPES) funding is now fully committed to over 2000 projects.
	The Football Foundation's NOPES allocation totalled 30 million.
	250.7 million has been drawn down by local education authorities to date.

Smoking (Public Places)

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what contribution her Department has made to the development of policy on smoking in public places to represent the interests of the (a) licensed trade and (b) tourism industry;
	(2)  what representations she has received from the tourism and hospitality industries regarding policy on smoking in public places.

James Purnell: My Department has remained in close touch with the tourism and hospitality industries on this issue, before and following the publication of the Department of Health's White Paper, Choosing Health, in November 2004. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met representatives of the hospitality industry twice in 2004 to discuss the industry's response to the Government's proposals for restricting smoking in public places. I have, since May 2005, discussed the issue on a number of occasions with representatives of the tourism and hospitality industries. These included the British Hospitality Association, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, and the Tourism Alliance.
	Officials in my Department have worked closely with the Department of Health throughout to inform the Government's proposals, and to ensure that the interests of the tourism and hospitality industries have been fully considered. This has included the provision of factual information on these industries, and of advice on definitional issues arising from the Licensing Act 2003.

Swimming Pools

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools there were in each London borough in (a) 1997 and (b) 2005; and if she will list those that have facilities for the disabled.

Richard Caborn: The total number of swimming pools in each of the London boroughs, in 1997 and 2005 together with the numbers with disabled access is as follows.
	The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) requires that all service providers must take reasonable measures to remove, alter or provide a reasonable means of avoiding physical barriers to accessing and using their premises. In August 2005 I wrote to all local authorities reminding them of their responsibilities under the DDA in the context of leisure and tourism facilities.
	
		
			  2005 1997 
			 London Borough Total pools Pools with disabled access Total pools Pools with disabled access 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 7 6 6 5 
			 Barnet 22 20 14 13 
			 Bexley 10 10 7 7 
			 Brent 7 5 6 4 
			 Bromley 29 23 20 15 
			 Camden 25 23 19 17 
			 City and County of the City  of London 14 11 7 4 
			 City of Westminster 39 29 25 17 
			 Croydon 28 24 19 16 
			 Ealing 25 23 14 12 
			 Enfield 16 14 12 10 
			 Greenwich 17 12 16 11 
			 Hackney 5 5 4 4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 16 14 9 7 
			 Haringey 16 13 16 13 
			 Harrow 11 10 8 7 
			 Havering 12 10 6 5 
			 Hillingdon 20 18 15 15 
			 Hounslow 16 16 14 14 
			 Islington 13 12 8 8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 16 15 10 9 
			 Kingston upon Thames 12 11 5 5 
			 Lambeth 11 9 7 6 
			 Lewisham 9 9 7 7 
			 Merton 14 13 10 9 
			 Newham 10 10 6 6 
			 Redbridge 11 7 8 6 
			 Richmond upon Thames 19 16 17 14 
			 Southwark 17 14 12 10 
			 Sutton 11 8 10 7 
			 Tower Hamlets 11 10 8 8 
			 Waltham Forest 11 11 7 7 
			 Wandsworth 20 18 17 15

Television Licence

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will offer a television licence discount for those people unable to receive digital television through their terrestrial aerial.

James Purnell: holding answer 31 January 2006
	No. The great majority of households who cannot currently receive digital terrestrial television services can, with the appropriate receiving equipment, receive digital services, including all the BBC's licence fee funded services, via satellite, with or without a subscription.
	The Government is committed to ensuring that at digital switchover everyone in the UK who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form can receive them on digital without needing to pay a subscription.

Television Reception (Wales)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many people in Wales are unable to receive analogue television reception;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the liability for the television licence fee of those who cannot receive analogue services.

James Purnell: Approximately 2.6 per cent. of households in Wales cannot receive analogue television services. Those who receive digital services are subject to the normal television licensing requirements, since a licence is required to install or use a television receiver to receive any television programme service, whether analogue or digital. The level of the television licence fee does not vary according to the type or range of services that can be received.

Tourism

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what plans she has to restructure the delivery mechanism for tourism policy in England;
	(2)  whether regional tourist boards have a role under her Department's plans for marketing tourism in England.

James Purnell: My Department established a coherent structure for tourism in England in 2003. VisitBritain is responsible for marketing Britain overseas, and England to the British. The regional development agencies have strategic responsibility for promoting and developing tourism in their regions, and may nominate tourist boards or other bodies as regional delivery partners.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to alter the general shape of that structure. I have, however, recently had discussions with VisitBritain, the England Marketing Advisory Board, and representatives of the regional development agencies, with a view to improving the co-ordination of tourism policy and funding at national, regional, and local levels in England. Those discussions will continue, and any proposals which result from them will be subject to full and wide consultation across the tourism sector.

Tourism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the date of each meeting she has had with the Chairman of VisitBritain in 2005; what was the agenda of each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met Lord Marshall on 17 October and 15 November 2005. Discussion at the first meeting covered the role of VisitBritain in promoting domestic and inbound tourism, and the better co-ordination of tourism funding activities across England. The second meeting was held at Downing Street, where Lord Marshall acted as industry chairman during a tourism breakfast meeting hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. A wide range of tourism issues were discussed on that occasion.
	I have held regular meetings with Lord Marshall, and the chief executive of VisitBritain, since May 2005 to discuss VisitBritain's marketing and other activities.

Vehicles (Pollution Targets)

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what reduction her Department has made in (a) road transport vehicle carbon dioxide emissions and (b) single occupancy car commuting against baseline years of (i) 200304 and (ii) 200405.

David Lammy: As the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is situated in central London on a site with very limited facilities for car parking, the great majority of staff travel by public transport. We have no plans to increase the very limited number of parking spaces, which are primarily for staff with disabilities. We also encourage those staff who wish to travel by bicycle to do so, and provide showers and changing facilities. Ministerial cars are provided by the Government Car and Dispatch Service. Currently four out of the five cars we use are dual fuelled and thus low in carbon emissions.

Youth Activities

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to create diversionary activities for younger people to prevent antisocial behaviour.

David Lammy: Diversionary activities have an important role to play in tackling antisocial behaviour. The Respect Action Plan commits us to
	Working with regional sports, arts and culture bodies to ensure that within target areas current funding is more effectively channelled into community sport and cultural activities that support Respect principles and provide a hook for engaging those young people most at risk of antisocial behaviour.
	Providing a new 1 million investment over the next three years to develop and expand the Sports Champions mentoring programme into arts, culture and creative industry sectors.
	Our sectors will be working with local providers and Children's Trusts to support outcomes of the kind currently delivered through the Positive Activities for Young People programme. We are also working with the Department for Education and Skills on implementation of Youth Matters, particularly on the Youth Offer.

CABINET OFFICE

Cabinet Procedures

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of whether the principles set out in (a) the Code of Corporate Governance 2003 and (b) the Companies Act 1985 are relevant to the conduct of (i) cabinet and (ii) cabinet committees; and what account was taken of such principles in drafting cabinet procedures.

Jim Murphy: I have made no such assessment. The work of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees is governed by the Ministerial Code (available at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and ethics/publications/pdf/ministerial_code.pdf).
	Guidance on working with Cabinet and Cabinet Committees is produced by the Cabinet Office (available at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/secretariats/cabinet_ committee_business/index.asp).
	Both documents contain well established rules for the conduct of Cabinet government.

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish figures for the total spend by his Department on (a) public relations and press offices and (b) advertising in each year since 199697; and what the estimated spend for 200506 is.

Jim Murphy: Details of the Cabinet Office's press office staff costs and expenditure on advertising since 199798 and estimated spend for 200506 are shown in the table.
	
		(000)
		
			  Press office staff costs Advertising(15) 
		
		
			 199798 454 206 
			 199899 512 166 
			 19992000 753 327 
			 200001 782 514 
			 200102 798 2,776 
			 200203 529 423 
			 200304 416 345 
			 200405 439 443 
			 200506(16) 407 480 
		
	
	(15) This includes the National School of Government.
	(16) Estimated spend shown for 200506 is based on actual expenditure incurred up to and including December plus an estimate of expenditure from January to March 2006.
	Financial information prior to 199798 is not held on the Department's accounting system and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The increase in advertising expenditure from 199899 to 200001 is due to expenditure on recruitment advertising for posts within the Department. These posts ranged from administration and junior management level through to the senior civil service. Also included are expenditure on recruitment advertising for specialist placements within the Government Information and Development Centre.
	The advertising figure for 200102 includes expenditure of 2,491,000 incurred by the Office of the E-Envoy (now known as the e-Government Unit) for the UK Online advertising campaign, offering help to people wanting to use the internet.

Government Communications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what changes have been made to the structure of (a) the Government Communications Group, (b) the Government Communications Network, (c) the Government News Network and (d) the Central Office of Information since May 1997.

Jim Murphy: The Government Communication Group (GCG) and the Government Communication Network (GCN) were set up in 2005 as part of implementing the recommendations of the independent Phillis Review of government communications.
	The GCG is a small strategic team within the Cabinet Office, headed by the Permanent Secretary Government Communication. It focuses on cross-government co-ordination, strategic communication, standards and professional development. It absorbed the former Government Information and Communication Service (GICS) centre, which focused more on recruitment and promotion of government communicators. Both GCG and GICS include the Media Monitoring Unit.
	The GCN is a professional network which differs from its predecessor, the GICS (established in 1997) in that it includes all those working in communication across government. GCN provides them with personal, practical and professional support to enable them to do their jobs better.
	The structure of COI was unchanged between 1997 and 2002, when the GNN was transferred to the GICS (from 1 April 2002). In April 2005 the GNN was transferred back to COI to enable the delivery of a more strategic and coordinated communications function in the regions.
	Apart from these GNN moves, COI created a Client Account Team on 1 April 2004 to provide a more focused approach to overall client needs and policy themes and to facilitate cross-departmental communication activity.
	Some specialist publishing activities were transferred to COI from the Home Office (September 2004), the Department of Health (October 2004) and NHS Estates (September 2005) in order to reduce duplication across government, in line with the Gershon agenda.

Press Complaints

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and (b) his Department; and how many of these complaints were upheld.

Jim Murphy: I am not aware of any complaints from the Cabinet Office to the Press Complaints Commission during this period.

Regulatory Reform Act

Alan Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many regulations have been (a) amended and (b) removed under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 in each year since the Act was passed.

Jim Murphy: Changes to regulations are usually made via the statutory instrument powers used to create them.
	The main provision of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 is to allow for the reform of burdensome primary legislation by Regulatory Reform Orders (RRO). Detailed records are not kept of any ancillary changes to regulations.
	Twenty-seven Regulatory Reform Orders (RROs) have been made since the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 was passed. These have delivered benefits to a range of sectors, including businesses, charities and local authorities. Details of the changes made by these orders are available in the supporting documentation accompanying these orders on the Cabinet Office Better Regulation Executive's website at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/regulatory_reform/act/reform_ orders.asp.

PRIME MINISTER

Congressional Medal

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister when he will collect his Congressional Medal.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Louth and Horncastle (Sir Peter Tapsell) at Prime Minister's questions on 14 December 2005, Official Report, columns 130102.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the items of his Office's property worth over 100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I have therefore asked my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) to reply. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on his (a) Private Office, (b) Political Office, (c) Press Office, (d) Strategic Communications Unit, (e) Policy Unit, (f) Delivery Unit, (g) Office of Public Services Reform, (h) Forward Strategy Unit and (i) other associated units, in each year since 199697; and what the estimated spend for 200506 is.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 1935W.
	The Delivery Unit, the Strategy Unit and the Office of Public Service Reform do not form part of my Office.
	The staffing and associated costs for my Political Office are met by the Labour Party. As has been the case under successive Administrations, marginal costs associated with the Political Office are met from within the overall budget for 10 Downing Street.

Honours

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the honours that have been awarded to players, and former players, of rugby union football since 1997.

Tony Blair: This is a matter of public record. The Honours Lists are published in The London Gazette on the occasion of the Queen's birthday in June and at new year.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister whether he discussed with President Bush, prior to the onset of hostilities against Iraq in 2003, a proposal that the UK should not take part in war-fighting, but would undertake a subsequent peacekeeping mission.

Tony Blair: The decision to resort to military action to ensure that Iraq fulfilled its obligations imposed by successive UN Security Council Resolutions was taken only after other routes to disarm Iraq had failed. I decided to commit UK forces after securing the approval of the House in the vote on 18 March 2003.

Torture

David Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 64W, on torture, and his oral answer of 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 862, whether his statement that the US does not condone torture was intended to exclude other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment set out in Article 16 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Tony Blair: The US Secretary of State made clear in her public statement of 5 December 2005 on the treatment of detainees that it is US policy that authorised interrogation will be consistent with US obligations under the Convention Against Torture, which prohibit cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
	The US Detainee Treatment Act, enacted on 30 December 2005, provides that no individual in the custody or under the physical control of the US Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This legislation makes a matter of statute what President Bush has made clear was already US Government policy.

Vandalism

David Davies: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the acts of vandalism which have been perpetrated (a) inside and (b) on the outside of his Office's buildings in the last 12 months.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I have therefore asked my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) to reply. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

Wilson Doctrine

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his written statement of 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 173WS, on the Wilson Doctrine, when he expects the Government to have finished considering the advice from the Interception of Communications Commissioner on the possible implications for the Wilson Doctrine of the regulatory framework for the interception of communications.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to my written ministerial statement of 15 December 2006, Official Report, column 173WS, and my answers at Prime Minister's questions on 18 and 25 January.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Financial Inclusion

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent measures he has taken to promote financial inclusion.

Margaret Hodge: The Government is committed to improved access to banking and the supply of affordable credit. We have made great progress since 1997 by implementing many of the recommendations of the Policy Action Team Report. However, we recognise that there is more to be done.
	We continue to promote financial inclusion through improved access to banking and the supply of affordable credit. Two specific initiatives in our Department are the 36 million allocated to the Growth Fund which will result in more affordable credit becoming available to tens of thousands of people and the improvements to simplify and expand the interest free Social Fund Budgeting Loans scheme.

Incapacity Benefit

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations he plans to consult on his proposals to reduce the number of people claiming incapacity benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: We have been consulting with key stakeholders about the detail of incapacity benefits reform since 2002, when we published our Pathways to Work proposals.
	We have now published our new proposals in our Green Paper and formal consultation will run until 21 April 2006.
	During this period I will engage with all our stakeholders, including claimants, employers, health professionals, local authorities, providers, disability organisations, welfare rights organisations and hon. Members.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there are in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Anne McGuire: As at August 2005, there were 4,800 people in Newcastle-under-Lyme claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost is of an incapacity case cleared by scrutiny.

Anne McGuire: This information is confidential and cannot be disclosed as to do so may prejudice the commercial interests of the Department and/or its suppliers.

Incapacity Benefit

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit in Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants, in the Beverley and Holderness parliamentary constituency: May 2005
		
			  Number of claimants 
		
		
			 May 1997 4,300 
			 May 1998 3,900 
			 May 1999 3,600 
			 May 2000 3,200 
			 May 2001 3,300 
			 May 2002 3,300 
			 May 2003 3,300 
			 May 2004 3,300 
			 May 2005 3,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The parliamentary constituency figures for the years 1997 to 1999 have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. 'Claimant' figures include all IB and SDA, including IB credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples from 1997 to 1999 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data thereafter.

Incapacity Benefit

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of how many people are affected by incapacity benefit reductions relating to the receipt of an occupational pension.

Anne McGuire: As at May 2005 there were 30,600 incapacity benefit recipients whose benefit had been reduced by the receipt of an occupational pension. This does not include those whose benefit is reduced to nil; information on such claims is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Incapacity Benefit

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received incapacity benefit in Elmet constituency in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: In August 1997, there were 3,500 people, and in August 2005, there were 3,000 people in the Elmet parliamentary constituency claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time was between the start of a claim for incapacity benefit and the first personal capability assessment in the last year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 22 June 2005, Official Report, column 1073W.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants have failed a personal capability assessment in each of the last four years in (a) Pathways to Work areas and (b) non Pathways to Work areas; and for what reasons in each case.

Anne McGuire: The personal capability assessment uses a scoring process to assess an individual's incapacity. Where an individual's score is below the threshold for incapacity benefit or disability living allowance, the benefit will be withdrawn. It is not possible to give a further breakdown of reasons.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance terminations due to a personal capability assessment score being below the benefit threshold
		
			 As at August each year: Pathways areas Non-Pathways areas 
		
		
			 2002 1,800 20,900 
			 2003 1,800 22,700 
			 2004 3,100 21,300 
			 2005 2,600 25,900 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters. For illustration purposes, total terminations for May 2004 increased by 33 per cent. in the year following their initial release.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of incapacity benefits claimants have undergone a medical examination in each year since 1990.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available.

Incapacity Benefit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit in 200405, broken down by medical condition.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bristol, East (Kerry McCarthy), on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1824W.

New Deal

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the new deal in Leicester.

Margaret Hodge: The new deal has been successful in helping 2,620 people into work in my hon. Friend's constituency. This includes more than 1,350 young people through New Deal for Young People, 84 per cent. of whom have gone into sustained employment.

Pensions Regulator

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the work of the new Pensions Regulator.

Stephen Timms: The Pensions Regulator opened for business in April 2005 with a new regulatory approach placing greater emphasis on identifying and tackling real risks to members' benefits and a proactive, risked-based style of regulation.
	It is clear that this approach is already making itself felt. The regulator is collecting and analysing a wide range of scheme data, enabling it to build a clearer picture of the current pensions landscape.
	The Pensions Regulator is required to assess and monitor the extent to which it is meeting its statutory objectives and targets, submitting an annual report to the Secretary of State. This report is then laid before Parliament. In addition, I meet with the chair of the Pensions Regulator on a quarterly basis and officials in my Department regularly monitor to ensure that the regulator is meeting its statutory objectives and pursuing its business activities effectively.

Welfare-to-Work Green Paper

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the contribution that the proposals set out in the welfare to work Green Paper will make to the Government's goal of 80 per cent. employment.

Margaret Hodge: The proposals in the Green Paper will be a key role in achieving an employment rate of 80 per cent. of the working age population. To achieve our aim we will reduce the number of people on incapacity benefits by a million, help 300,000 more lone parents into work and increase by a million the number of older workers.

Benefit Fraud

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his Department's strategy to tackle benefit fraud.

James Plaskitt: Our strategy for tackling benefit fraud was published in Reducing Fraud in the Benefit System: Achievements and Ambitions on 13 October 2005. Copies are available in the Library.
	Since 1997, we have reduced fraud in income support and jobseeker's allowance by nearly two thirds. We now estimate that we lose around 0.9 billion to fraud each yearunder 1 per cent. of total benefit expenditure, and the lowest estimated levels ever recorded. However, we realise that there is more to do and will continue to drive this down further.

Benefit Payments/Provision

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of telephone calls for benefit claims to Jobcentre Plus offices in Wales (a) received the engaged tone, (b) disconnected during the IVR process and (c) were abandoned by the caller in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 6 February 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many and what proportion of telephone calls for benefit claims to Jobcentre Plus offices in Wales (a) received the engaged tone, (b) disconnected during the IVR process and (c) were abandoned by the caller in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	When a customer calls a Jobcentre Plus contact centre to make a claim for benefit, their call is either answered immediately or is placed in a queue until either their call is answered or they choose to abandon the call. They are not connected to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and customers do not get an engaged tone. We do know however that customers make the choice to abandon their call and that Jobcentre Plus does not terminate calls. I suspect that customers may abandon calls because of domestic interruptions or simply that they do not wait for even a short time to speak to an adviser.
	We have three contact centres in Wales: Pembroke Dock, Bridgend and Cwmbran that take calls from customers wishing to claim benefit. I have set out below the available information on calls offered and abandoned for those sites based in Wales.
	
		
			  Calls offered Calls abandoned Percentage 
		
		
			 2004 (June to December) 249,028 44,217 17.8 
			 2005 (January to w/e  16 December) 692,317 139,601 20.2 
		
	
	Note:
	Prior to June 2004 information was not collected centrally.

Benefit Payments/Provision

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received (a) housing benefit, (b) council tax benefit, (c) income support and (d) incapacity benefit in the constituency of South Swindon, in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: Housing benefit and council tax benefit figures are not available broken down by parliamentary constituency. The available information is in the table.
	
		Housing benefit (HB), council tax benefit (CTB), income support (IS), incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in the areas shown
		
			  Swindon borough council South Swindon constituency 
			  HB CTB IS IB/SDA 
		
		
			 August 1997 10,400 12,700 3,500 3,300 
			 August 1998 10,200 12,000 3,500 3,700 
			 August 1999 10,000 11,800 3,100 3,300 
			 August 2000 8,600 10,600 2,900 3,300 
			 August 2001 8,100 9,300 2,900 3,300 
			 August 2002 8,300 9,700 2,900 3,400 
			 August 2003 9,200 11,000 3,000 3,400 
			 August 2004 9,700 11,900 3,000 3,600 
			 August 2005 10,300 12,500 2,900 3,500 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. CTB figures exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
	4. HB figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
	5. For consistency, income support figures exclude minimum income guarantee (MIG) claimants. Pension credit replaced MIG on the 6 October 2003; pension credit cases are not included in the table.
	6. IB/SDA figures include IB credits only cases.
	7. IS and IB/SDA figures prior to May 2000 have been derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. totals.
	Sources:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 1997 to August 2005; DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS); Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples.

Benefit Payments/Provision

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to improve (a) the efficiency of delivery and (b) comparability of control systems of benefits paid to British citizens resident overseas.

Stephen Timms: The Pension Service International Pension Centre applies the normal departmental security rules and law to prevent both external and internal fraud and abuse. It has recently upgraded its telephony systems to improve the level of service to customers overseas. Work in the centre has now been organised by country. This is to ensure there are specialist areas covering the European Union, countries with which the Department has Reciprocal Agreements and countries where non-uprated pensions are paid.
	In addition The Pension Service has a team of specialists who determine if marriages and divorces that take place under foreign legislation meet the requirements of UK Social Security legislation and we carry out a programme of certification to ensure that benefit payments continue to be appropriate. There is also technology in place that allows us to authenticate foreign documents.
	The Pension Service has achieved direct payment into bank accounts for over 97 per cent. of residents where it is possible to pay benefits via the BACS system.
	Following a comparison with the Dutch System The Pension Service is implementing a new approach to programme protection work based on the amount of expenditure, the number of residents and age of residents by country.
	Other benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, for non United Kingdom residents are entirely dependant on the entitlement conditions for each individual benefit. These conditions may be modified for EU nationals moving within the EU by the EU Regulations on Social Security for Migrant Workers and in other cases by reciprocal social security agreements between the United Kingdom and other countries.

Benefit Payments/Provision

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was owed to the Department in overpaid benefits in each quarter of the past three years; how much was received in each quarter; and if he will make a statement on progress in recovery of the outstanding balance.

James Plaskitt: Benefit overpayment balances outstanding and recoveries for the last three years are as follows:
	
		 million
		
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 
		
		
			 200203 
			 Balance owed at quarter end 1,087 1,101 1,116 1,145 
			 Recoveries 49.3 48.9 45.7 44.8 
			 Total recovered 188.8 
			  
			 200304(17) 
			 Balance owed at quarter end 1,124 1,122 1,121 1,157 
			 Recoveries 54.7 46.6 50.9 (18)29.1 
			 Total recovered 181.4 
			  
			 200405 
			 Balance owed at quarter end 1,161 1,174 1,187 1,230 
			 Recoveries 46.1 50.4 55.6 (18)35.5 
		
	
	Total recovered 186.6
	(17) The reductions in both the debt stock (Q1) and recoveries in 200304 were due to the transfer of child benefit from DWP to Inland Revenue.
	(18) Recoveries figure reduced in quarter to reflect accounting adjustments required to balance out incorrectly posted transactions in previous three quarters.
	Within the Department, Debt Management was established in April 2001 to provide greater focus and expertise to the management and recovery of benefit overpayments within the Department. Since then, the bulk of benefit overpayment recovery work has been centralised from over 100 sites to 10 dedicated debt centres, and 750 million of overpaid benefits has been recovered up to March 2005.
	Since April 2004, where DWP has been unsuccessful in seeking recovery from those no longer in receipt of benefit, the debt has been referred to our private sector partners under the Enforcement Initiative.
	From August 2005, a new computer system was introduced to the debt centres to assist with the recovery and accounting processes.
	These improvements will see enhanced management and recovery in future years. However, due to the circumstances of many of our customers, recovery of a debt can take several years.

Benefit Payments/Provision

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recorded job entries there have been in the United Kingdom excluding pathways to work pilots for incapacity benefit claimants who have been claiming benefit for (a) nought to three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to 12 months, (d) 12 to 24 months and (e) 24 months and over since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The specific information requested is not available

Bowback House, Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary redundancies are expected as a result of the development of Bowback House in Milton Keynes.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 6 February 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary redundancies are anticipated as a result of the development of Bowback House in Milton Keynes. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We are not anticipating any compulsory or voluntary redundancies as a result of the development of Bowback House in Milton Keynes. Currently we are recruiting staff at this location.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents are paying child support under (a) the old system and (b) the new system; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents are paying child support under (a) the old system and (b) the new system; and if he will make a statement.
	In the quarter to December 2005, the latest period for which figures are available, just over 400,000 cases were in receipt of maintenance via the Agency's collection service or had a Maintenance Direct arrangement in place. This equates to over half a million children.
	The table attached breaks down this figure with respect to cases under the old and new schemes across both the old and new child support IT systems according to whether or not a case is on the collection service, or has a maintenance direct arrangement in place.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		Number of cases where maintenance was collected via the Agency's collection service or a Maintenance Direct arrangement was in place by Child Support Scheme and IT systemQuarter ending December 2005 -- Thousand
		
			  New Scheme (New IT system) Old Scheme (New IT system) Old Scheme (Old IT system) Total 
		
		
			 Number of cases receiving maintenance via the collection service 111,000 33,000 158,000 302,000 
			 Number of cases with a maintenance direct arrangement in place 36,000 8,000 62,000 106,000 
			 Total 147,000 41,000 220,000 408,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers above exclude old scheme cases with a punitive interim maintenance assessment in place, as well as new scheme cases being progressed clerically.
	2. Old scheme child supports cases a largely processed on the old IT system, but are also processed on the new IT system where they have been migrated due to links with new scheme applications.
	3. Maintenance Direct cases are those in which the Agency has carried out a maintenance calculation or assessment, and the non resident parent has subsequently agreed to pay the parent with care directly. There will then be no further involvement from the Agency unless requested by either party (for example in the event of a change of circumstances requiring recalculation or non compliance by the non resident parent). The existence of such an arrangement does not guarantee that payment of maintenance occurs, as it could cease upon mutual agreement of both parties without the Agency being informed.
	4. A case is counted as having been compliant on the Agency collection service if it is open at the end of December, and any money has been both requested and received via the Agency's collection service in the preceding three months.
	5. Volumes are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Child Support

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the strategic review of the Child Support Agency will be published.

James Plaskitt: The Secretary of State will make an announcement shortly.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Child Support Agency has used its powers to withdraw the driving licences of non-compliant non-resident parents in each year from 200001; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the Child Support Agency has used its powers to withdraw the driving licences of non-compliant non-resident parents in each year from 200001 to 200506; and if he will make a statement.
	The legislation to disqualify non-resident parents from holding or obtaining a driving licence came into effect in April 2001.
	The Child Support Agency does not have the power to withdraw the driving licences of non-compliant non-resident parents, this is a decision which may be made by the courts.
	Once all possible means of civil recovery of the debt have been exhausted the Secretary of State will make application to the courts for non-resident parents to be committed to prison or disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence. If the non-resident parent is found guilty of wilful refusal or culpable neglect, it is the court who will decide which of the sanctions available is the most appropriate. The table below therefore details the number of non-resident parents who have had their driving licences withdrawn by the courts and the number of non-resident parents who have received a suspended withdrawal sentence and additionally those who have received suspended and actual committal sentences.
	
		
			  Number of cases referred to court for committal or disqualification orders Driving licencewithdrawn Driving licencesuspended sentence Committal to prisonsuspended sentences Committal to prisonsentences served 
		
		
			 200102  0 3 21 0 
			 200203  1 7 35 4 
			 200304 240 1 9 95 8 
			 200405 662 5 31 224 8 
			 April 2005 to November 2005 554 4 13 212 8 
			 Total  11 63 587 28 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The fact that the number of suspensions and actual penalties is less than half the number of referrals is explained by the number of debtors who enter into agreements to pay rather than attend court. Similarly, only a very small number of debtors actually go to prison or lose their driving licences, in our experience, because the courts normally seek to suspend a sentence on condition that the defendant commits to pay.
	2. We do not have accurate data for the number of cases referred to court for the periods 200102 and 200203.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress in (a) securing improved management information and (b) resolving information technology problems at the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 6 February 2006
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress in (a) securing improved management information and (b) resolving information technology problems at the Child Support Agency.
	(a) As a result of an Agency instigated independent review of its Data Warehouse and the subsequent Select Committee recommendations, an independent review of the Agency's management information service was commissioned and a project set up.
	The project has made significant progress in recent months, providing audit assured information going back to March 2003 in respect of:
	new scheme applications intake
	volume and age of clearances and
	volume and age of work in progress.
	Further management information improvements covering change of circumstances and non-compliant non-resident parents are currently being developed.
	(b) There have been a number of IT releases over the last year and as a result of this work the new computer system stability, availability and performance are much improved, in most cases now achieving and maintaining agreed technical service-level standards.
	Improvements included the correction of a number of internal system defects and various system infrastructure improvements. Call Manager improved the telephony system by routing customer calls more quickly and effectively. Freetext provided the ability for staff to note down more detailed and specific information about individual cases directly onto the system that resulted in more efficient casework handling. The national roll out of Voice Recording provided the ability to record telephone conversations between Agency staff and new scheme clients and is now used for quality monitoring/learning and development purposes.
	Work to improve the new computer system is continuing with additional IT releases planned for 2006 to deliver further improvements.
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what powers the Child Support Agency pays compensation for errors it makes; and who decides (a) when and (b) of what quantums such payments should be.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive and he will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 6 February 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, under what powers the Child Support Agency pays compensation for errors it makes; and who decides (a) when and (b) of what quantums such payments should be.
	The Department for Work and Pensions operates a discretionary, non-statutory scheme providing financial redress for maladministration under delegated authority from HM Treasury. Agency officials have authority to make payments up to 15,000. Payments exceeding that limit are referred to the Department for Work and Pensions' central team for authorisation.
	Each case is treated individually. The Agency aims to deal with such cases within 30 working days of referral.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on financial hardship caused by Child Support Agency maintenance assessments; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 1560, on the Child Support Agency, whether there have been reductions in (a) back office and (b) support staffing at the Child Support Agency since January 2005; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 6 February 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Answer of 19th January 2006 Official Report column 1560 on the Child Support Agency whether there have been reductions in (a) back office and (b) support staffing at the Child Support Agency since January 2005; and if he will make a statement.
	There have been reductions in both (a) back office and (b) support staffing at the Child Support Agency since January 2005. Over this same period there has been an increase in the numbers of staff employed in Frontline Services.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Child Support

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agency (CSA) has raised under the Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 and the Child Support Act 1991 as a result of empowering employers to collect an additional fee of 1 to help defray the costs of administering each CSA order; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.
	Child support legislation allows employers to collect up to 1 towards administrative costs, whether they do so is up to them. The employer does not notify the agency when they do this, as it is a matter for them.

Crisis Loan Applications

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many crisis loan applications have been received (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the tables.
	
		Crisis loan applications in Great Britain
		
			 Calendar year Number received 
		
		
			 2001 1,313,000 
			 2002 1,405,000 
			 2003 1,383,300 
			 2004 1,348,000 
			 2005 1,361,100 
		
	
	
		Crisis loan applications in Great Britain
		
			 2005 Number received 
		
		
			 January 120,800 
			 February 114,000 
			 March 118,000 
			 April 114,200 
			 May 108,200 
			 June 115,400 
			 July 109,000 
			 August 114,200 
			 September 116,400 
			 October 109,700 
			 November 119,500 
			 December 101,700 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Child Support Agency

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agency has received but not yet passed on to the parent with care.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 6 February 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agency has received but not yet passed on to the parent with care.
	The Agency collection service deals with significant sums passing through its bank account (in excess of 600 million in each of the last two years). As a consequence the Agency bank balance is continually turning over with receipts from Non Resident Parents and employers which need to be assigned and be paid out to Parents with Care or the Secretary of State (where the Parent with Care is in receipt of benefit). At 30 November 2005 an amount of 4.2 million had been received, cleared, and was in the process of being passed on to the Parent with Care via their preferred Method of Payment, which is in the main directly into their bank account. At this date there was also an amount of 9.5 million in the bank account awaiting fund clearance and assignment between the Parent with Care and the Secretary of State.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 200506.

Stephen Timms: Such information that is available is in the table. Planned expenditure for 200506 is based on actual costs to November 2005, extrapolated for the full year. Contribution rates were consistent between 200203 and 200405 but have increased substantially with effect from 1 April 2005, accounting for the acute rise in costs.
	
		 million
		
			  200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Department for Work and Pensions 291.6 303.7 312.2 427.9 
			 Executive Agencies: 
			 Child Support Agency 20.5 21.6 22.1 32.8 
			 Jobcentre Plus 175.3 171.6 178.3 245.5 
			 Disability and Carers Service (established 1/11/04) n/a n/a 6.0 20.0 
			 The Pension Service 25.3 37.2 35.1 43.9 
			 The Appeals Service 1.8 3.5 3.6 4.2 
			 The Rent Service 1.8 2.2 2.5 2.9 
			 Health  Safety Executive 17.0 17.0 17.1 24.0 
			 Non-departmental public bodies: 
			 Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (The Pensions Regulator  from 6/04/05) 0.7 0.7 0.9 1.3 
			 Disability Rights Commission 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.9 
			 Pensions Compensation Board 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	For 200506, employers' contributions are payable to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) at one of four rates in the ranges 16.2 to 24.6 per cent. of pensionable pay, based on salary bands. The Scheme Actuary reviews employer contributions every four years following a full scheme valuation; last carried out as at 31 March 2003. The contribution rates reflect the cost of benefits as they accrue (net of employee contributions), not the costs as they are actually incurred, and reflect past experience of the scheme.

Departmental Jobs

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's jobs are located in Tamworth constituency.

Anne McGuire: As at 31 October 2005, a total of 40 (full-time equivalent) staff were employed by the Department in the Tamworth constituency.

Departmental Leaflets

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response his Department is making to the recent National Audit Office Report on its leaflets.

Anne McGuire: In the Using Information to communicate with the public about services and entitlements report the NAO acknowledges the recent work the Department has already undertaken in this area. The Department has already made progress against a number of the NAO's recommendations and will carefully monitor implementation of the remainder.

Departmental Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what strategy he proposes to adopt to address the conclusion of the departmental working paper number 21, Review of Existing Research on the Extra Costs of Disability, that disability living allowance and attendance allowance are not sufficient to meet costs associated with disability; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Working paper no. 21 reviewed the existing research evidence about the extra costs of disabled people. It concluded that although most studies estimate that disability living allowance and attendance allowance are not sufficient to meet all the extra costs of disability, they have produced no clear and robust evidence on the actual size of those costs in relation to benefit levels. All of the different approaches so far adopted by researchers are methodologically and conceptually difficult and have produced widely differing results. Some have also tended not to take account of the full range of statutory services and benefits available to help meet the needs and costs associated with disability, amongst which disability living allowance and attendance allowance make a non-income-related and tax-free contribution of around 12.5 billion a year towards the disability related extra costs of over 4 million disabled people.

Disabled People

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people are seeking employment, as measured by the number of people consulting a disability employment adviser; and how many of these have been seeking employment for (a) six months or more, (b) one year or more and (c) 18 months or more.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested.

Industrial Injuries Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of replacing the industrial injuries scheme with a no-fault compensation scheme fully funded by employers;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) other effects of abolishing the Industrial Injuries Disablement Pension and transferring responsibility to employers; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I have asked officials to carry out a review of our Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Scheme. As the scheme was introduced in 1948, we need to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of our modern society. While I expect officials to look at all aspects of the scheme, we have not yet looked in any detail at any particular component and have not made any assessment of the costs and benefits of transferring responsibility for industrial injury compensation to employers. We will, however, be looking at all options for the future.
	We intend to publish a discussion document later this year when we will engage fully with stakeholders and other interested parties.

Internal Fraud

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of internal fraud has been to (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each year from 200001.

James Plaskitt: Details of estimated cost of internal fraud to the Department are presented in table 1.
	
		Table 1: Cost of fraud ()
		
			 Agency 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506(19) (to December) 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus 44,309(20) 208,823(20) 557,007 71,100 36,670 212,014 
			 The Pension Service n/a n/a n/a 600 876 25,735 
			 Child Support Agency 9,200 4,111 0 1,812 3,338 1,565 
			 Disability and Carers service n/a n/a 0 40 11,913 7,875 
			 Appeals Service 0 203 0 24 0 2,879 
			 War Pensions Agency (21)3,583 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Employment Service (22)3,023 (22)1,045,977 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Departmental Headquarters and Snared Directorates 14,019 620 8,595 0 60 8,467 
			 Contractors n/a n/a n/a 765,526 559,959 324,129 
			 Total 74,134 1,259,734 565,602 839,102 612,816 582,664 
		
	
	(19) Year to date figures for 200506 are based on investigations completed since 31 March 2005.
	(20) Jobcentre Plusa new agency created in 2002 merging parts of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. Figures up to 200102 relate to losses within the Benefits Agency.
	(21) War Pensions Agency transferred to the Ministry of Defence in 2002.
	(22) Employment Servicefigures to 20012002 include contractor fraud.
	Source:
	This information has been compiled from annual returns detailing fraud losses.
	The Department has a robust approach to the detection, prevention and deterrence of internal and contractor fraud. This approach is consistent with Treasury guidance.
	The Department has a Fraud Response Plan and an Anti-Fraud Policy in place. Investigations into suspected internal or contractor-related frauds are conducted by a professional and dedicated team.
	In addition to investigations staff, there is a network of security advisers in place across the Department. Their role includes promoting internal security throughout businesses, reporting and initial investigation potential security incidents, and providing security awareness training to staff.
	The Department has a Whistleblowers Hotline to enable staff to report suspicions of internal fraud outside of management structures.
	The Department also has in place a comprehensive set of management checks and procedures to ensure that financial transactions are protected from the risk of internal fraud and abuse.

Jobcentre Plus

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which parts of the Jobcentre Plus (a) network and (b) contact centres the Customer Management System has been implemented; and what the implementation dates are for the rest of the (i) network and (ii) contact centres.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question asking in which parts of the Jobcentre Plus (a) network and (b) contact centres the Customer Management System has been implemented; and what the implementation dates are for the rest of the (i) network and (ii) contact centres. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We are implementing the Customer Management System (CMS) in all Jobcentre Plus customer facing offices, benefit processing offices and contact centres.
	Currently CMS has been deployed evenly throughout Jobcentre Plus in over 75 per cent. of the total network. We expect the introduction of CMS across the network to be completed by July 2006.
	Annex 1 indicates those districts where CMS deployment is fully complete and those sites where CMS is still to be deployed. Annex 2 lists all 22 Contact Centres where CMS has been deployed.
	I hope this is helpful.
	
		Annex 1Jobcentre Plus deployment of the Customer Management System Region and District
		
			RegionDistrict CM Deployment Full or Partial 
		
		
			 East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Partial 
			  Cambridgeshire Partial 
			  Norfolk Partial 
			  Essex Partial 
			  Suffolk Full 
			 East Midlands Derbyshire Full 
			  Leicestershire Full 
			  Lincolnshire and Rutland Partial 
			  Northamptonshire Full 
			  Nottinghamshire Partial 
			 London Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Partial 
			  Central London Partial 
			  City and East London Partial 
			  Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth Partial 
			  North London Partial 
			  South East London Partial 
			  South London Partial 
			  North East London Partial 
			  West London Partial 
			 North East City of Sunderland Full 
			  Durham Partial 
			  Gateshead and South Tyneside Full 
			  Northumbria Full 
			  Tees Valley Full 
			 North West Cheshire and Warrington Full 
			  Cumbria Full 
			  Lancashire East Partial 
			  Greater Manchester East Partial 
			  Greater Manchester West Partial 
			  Greater Mersey Full 
			  Lancashire West Partial 
			  Liverpool and Wirral Full 
			 Scotland Ayr, Dumfries, Galloway and Inverclyde Partial 
			  Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Partial 
			  Forth Valley and Fife Partial 
			  Glasgow Partial 
			  Highlands, Islands, Clyde Coast and  Grampian Partial 
			  Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire Partial 
			 South East Buckinghamshire, Oxen and Berkshire Partial 
			  Hampshire Partial 
			  Kent Partial 
			  Surrey and Sussex Partial 
			 South West Devon and Cornwall Partial 
			  Dorset and Somerset Partial 
			  Gloucester Partial 
			  Wiltshire and Swindon Partial 
			  West of England Partial 
			 Wales Bridgend Full 
			  Cardiff and Vale Full 
			  Eastern Valleys Partial 
			  North West Wales Partial 
			  South East Wales Full 
			  Swansea Bay Partial 
			  West Wales Partial 
			  Wrexham and North West Coast Partial 
			 West Midlands Birmingham and Solihull Partial 
			  Black Country Partial 
			  Coventry and Warwickshire Partial 
			  Staffordshire Partial 
			  The Marches Partial 
			 Yorkshire and Barnsley, Doncaster and Partial 
			 the Humber Rotherham Partial 
			  Bradford Partial 
			  Calderdale and Kirklees Partial 
			  East Yorkshire and Humber Partial 
			  Leeds Partial 
			  North Yorkshire Partial 
			  Sheffield Full 
			  Wakefield Partial 
		
	
	Annex 2Jobcentre Plus deployment of the Customer Management System
	Contact Centres
	Blackburn
	Bootle
	Bridgend
	Coventry
	Derby
	Dundee
	Garston
	Grimsby
	Halifax
	Hastings
	Lincoln
	Lowestoft
	Marton Mere
	Middlesbrough
	Newcastle
	Paisley
	Pembroke Dock
	Poole
	Sheffield
	Taunton
	Telford
	Torquay

Jobseekers

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are taken by the staff of Jobcentre Plus to support working age claimants with special needs, with particular reference to people with (a) English language difficulties, (b) learning disabilities and (c) chronic physical and mental health problems.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 6 February 2006
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your questions asking what steps are taken by the staff of Jobcentre Plus to support working age claimants with special needs, with particular reference to people with (a) English language difficulties, (b) learning disabilities and (c) chronic physical and mental health problems. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus provides additional help for those people who face particular disadvantage in the labour market. This is provided primarily through personal advisers who provide information, advice and guidance to help people identify and overcome barriers to employment. Alongside this, there is a range of employment and training related opportunities to help overcome specific issues such language and learning difficulties, and physical and mental health problems.
	By way of context it is worth mentioning that the Government published a Green Paper on Welfare ReformA New Deal for Welfare : Empowering people to work on 24 January 2006. In that Green Paper the Government re-emphasised its commitment to provide opportunity for all saying :
	Ensuring that all our citizens have both the right and the opportunity to join the world of work is a fundamental responsibility of any modern government. The Government will help people achieve success for themselves and their families.
	The Green Paper sets our proposals for reforms which build on recent successes which Jobcentre Plus have been a part of and we are continue to take a leading in role in delivering better services to the people we serve.
	On the specific issue of language difficulties, our policy is to ensure interpreters are provided when conducting business with customers who do not speak English or Welsh, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Interpreters can be provided in a number of ways, e.g. through:
	multi-lingual members of staff;
	local interpreters providing services voluntarily or under contract;
	the Department of Work and Pensions telephone-interpreter service, which is currently provided by Language Line.
	In some instances customers may also use their own interpreters, e.g. a family member or friend, though for formal interviews, e.g. benefit appeals and tribunals, only independent and qualified interpreters may be used.
	People for whom English is a second language (ESOL) also have access to work focused provision through our Work Based Learning for Adults programme and the New Deal. These ESOL programmes provide full-time help for up to 26 weeks, 780 learning hours (26 weeks at 30 hours a week). Participants follow a varied and innovative approach to learning and are encouraged to take part in project work and work placements to consolidate their learning, which is designed to improve skills by at least one level.
	Jobcentre Plus also has a range of support and labour market advice for those customers receiving Incapacity benefits. This is available to a range of customers with health conditions and disabilities including those with learning difficulties and chronic physical and mental health conditions.
	A key, new, element of our service are the Pathways to Work Pilots, which are currently operating in 11 Jobcentre Plus Districts. Specialist advisers are given enhanced interviewing skills to enable them to deal specifically with this customer group. Pathways to Work have also introduced a more intensive mandatory regime of work-focused interviews for all new Incapacity benefit customers, with access to a wider range of support. IB customers with the most severe conditions are not expected to take part in the full Pathways regime but can volunteer to participate. The support includes a Choices Package, which includes the Condition Management Programme (CMP) delivered through a partnership between Jobcentre Plus and the NHS. The CMP is delivered by health professionals and has been designed to help people better understand and cope with their health condition. Through these pilots we are engaging significantly greater numbers of customers and substantially improving their prospects for work.
	Incapacity Benefit Personal Advisers (IBPAs) have been introduced into all Jobcentre Plus offices. The aim of the IBPA is to provide support to customers in receipt of Incapacity Benefit move closer to the labour market and into sustainable employment.
	Additionally, more specialist support is available via the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) who works closely with employers, employees and customers with a health condition or disability, offering advice and practical support to enable the person find and sustain employment. DEAs are also a route for obtaining support through the specialist programmes provided by Jobcentre Plus.
	There are a number of programmes that are specifically designed to help people with a disability or health condition return to work:
	Access to Work is a specialist disability programme, which provides practical advice and support to help disabled people enter or stay in paid employment;
	Work Preparation is an individually tailored, work-focused programme that enables disabled people to address barriers associated with their disability and prepare for working with the confidence necessary to achieve and sustain their job goal;
	WORKSTEP provides support in jobs for disabled people who have more complex barriers to finding and keeping work but who, with the right support, can work effectively and develop in their job. Longer-term support continues to be available for those who need it and is a major element of the programme;
	people with a disability or health condition may also receive help through the New Deal for Disabled People programme. NDDP is a voluntary programme which gives customers on qualifying disability or health-related benefits in England, Scotland and Wales access to a network of Job Brokers. Job Brokers work with customers to help them compete in the labour market and support them in finding and keeping a job;
	the Job Introduction Scheme (JIS) aims to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities by offering a weekly grant to employers during the first six weeks of their employment;
	Residential Training provides a unique service to unemployed disabled adults whose needs are not met through any other government funded programmes. Although other programmes can fund training aimed at helping disabled people into work, the Residential Training courses are unique in that they deliver specific training and programmes for disabled people with complex needs who cannot enter into employment or a work-based environment without the appropriate preparation; and
	other New Deal programmes such as New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus, New Deal 50 plus and New Deal for Lone Parents are also available to this customer group.
	I do apologise for the length of this response, but I hope it has helped in detailing the wide range of services available.

Jobseekers

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average (a) time taken, (b) cost of and (c) number of public officials involved was in handling a fresh claim for jobseeker's allowance in the last period for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what the average (a) time taken, (b) cost of and (c) number of public officials involved was in handling a fresh claim for Jobseeker's Allowance in the last period for which figures are available. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus measures how long it takes to clear a claim to benefit to the date of decision. This is expressed as the Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT).
	In the operational year 2004/2005, the AACT for Jobseeker's Allowance was 12.1 days and, for the same period, an estimate of the average direct cost (excluding overheads) of processing a new claim for Jobseeker's Allowance was 21.97.
	We do not keep information on the number of officials involved in handling individual new claims for Jobseeker's Allowance.

Learning Disability

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he takes to ensure that people with a learning disability are given the right support to find jobs they (a) wish to do and (b) are capable of doing; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Jobcentre Plus provides additional help for those people who face particular disadvantage in the labour market and who wish to move into a job. This is provided primarily through personal advisers who provide information, advice and guidance to help people identify and overcome barriers to employment. Alongside this, there is a range of employment and training related opportunities to help overcome specific issues such as language difficulties, and physical and mental health problems, including help for people with a learning disability.

Maintenance Arrears

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects payment for maintenance arrears for (a) 200405 and (b) 200506 to be made to Miss Jones of Birkenhead.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 6 February 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects payment for maintenance arrears for (a) 200405 and (b) 200506 to be made to Miss Jones of Birkenhead.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

National Insurance Number Hotline

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will increase the number of staff answering calls on the national insurance number hotline.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 6 February 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking if he will increase the number of staff answering calls on the national insurance number hotline. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	It may be helpful if I outline the way in which customers apply for a National Insurance number. We do not currently operate a National Insurance number hotline. We are, however, presently introducing a new centralised computerised appointments booking process in order to reduce the time it takes for customers to receive a National Insurance number. We are implementing this new process on a phased timetable. This means that at the moment two systems are in operation.
	The new process introduces the use of a national contact centre with a single 0845 number for customers wishing to book an interview to apply for a National Insurance number. Appointments for interviews are made and confirmation of the appointment is sent to the customer immediately. Evaluation in those regions where this new process has been implemented has shown that 97% of all calls are answered, of which 92% of calls are answered within 20 seconds. The average speed of answer is 8 seconds.
	This new system will be introduced shortly in your constituency. In the meantime, customers in Shropshire needing a National Insurance number should contact the Jobcentre Plus office at Telford, using the dedicated telephone number.
	I hope this is helpful.

Pathways to Work

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost per participant is in Pathway to Work pilots.

Margaret Hodge: The latest estimate for the average cost of the funding per person on the Pathways to Work programme is around 400, excluding the return to work credit.

Pathways to Work

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid to voluntary sector providers under the Pathways to Work pilots schemes since their establishment.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not available.
	Both voluntary and private sector organisations deliver a number of different programmes which support Pathways to Work. Some of these programmes are specific to Pathways to Work (in-work support and condition management programmes), while others are delivered nationally across Jobcentre Plus, for example WORKSTEP and new deal for disabled people.

Pathways to Work

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list his Department's contracts with (a) private sector and (b) voluntary sector providers of services outsourced by Jobcentre Plus in (i) Pathways to Work areas for each of the last two years and (ii) non-Pathways to Work areas for each of the last five years; and what the value was of each contract.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking if he will list his Department's contracts with (a) private sector and (b) voluntary sector providers of services outsourced by Jobcentre Plus in (i) Pathways to Work areas for each of the last two years and (ii) non-Pathways to Work areas for each of the last five years; and what the value was of each. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We do not currently have available the requested breakdown of these providers between private and voluntary organisations. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, Jobcentre Plus is currently implementing a new system which will enable information on programmes and providers to be obtained and collated more readily for contracts in the future.

Pension Protection Fund Levy

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the pension protection fund levy on small businesses.

Stephen Timms: The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) that accompanied the Pensions Bill 2004 addressed the effect of the pension protection levy on businesses, and was agreed by Parliament when the Bill was passed.
	The RIA specifically considered the impact on businesses with fewer than 50 employees. It identified that impact on small businesses (i.e. those with fewer than 50 employees) will be limited overall by the fact that few such businesses run defined benefit pension schemes, and so are unlikely to be affected by the pension protection levy. The RIA estimates that less than 2.2 per cent. of the total cost of the Pension Protection Fund would be met by small businesses.
	Responsibility for consulting on and setting the level of the pension protection levy rests with the board of the Pension Protection Fund. Following 17 weeks of consultation two consultation documents were produced plus one update. The aim was to strike a balance between affordability and security. Representatives from small business were consulted as part of the process. This all resulted in a report on 16 December 2005, including an estimate of the pension protection levy amount. This is available on the Pension Protection Fund's website.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many occupational pension schemes have fully wound up since 1997; and how many are in the process of winding up.

Stephen Timms: Information in the following table was provided by the Pensions Regulator and shows the number of schemes that are currently in the process of winding up and the number of schemes that have wound up, for each year since 2 April 1997.
	
		
			  Scheme status winding up Scheme status wound up 
			 Effective date scheme status was changed on register Number of schemes Total membership Number of schemes Total membership 
		
		
			 2 April 1997 to 31 March 1998 57 2,648 8,248 54,439 
			 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999 128 4,118 7,708 71,351 
			 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 2,909 52,051 8,462 64,608 
			 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 1,035 29,760 6,720 65,510 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 1,443 43,015 5,822 128,060 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 1,129 54,528 6,250 145,039 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 1,171 51,549 6,316 127,839 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 564 59,767 4,328 78,878 
			 Total 8,436 297,436 53,854 735,724 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A winding up scheme is one which has notified the Pensions Regulator (or its predecessor the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority) that it has commenced winding up procedures.
	2. A wound up scheme is one which has notified the Pensions Regulator (or its predecessor the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority) that it has completed winding up procedures.
	3. Schemes are required to notify the Pensions Regulator of changes in scheme status as soon as is reasonably practical. This means that the data for the year ended 31 March 2005 is provisional.
	4. The figures are based on information held on the register as at 11 January 2006. The effective date for the scheme status is based on the last scheme status change date.
	5. Figures for 199798 commence on 2 April 1997 because, where a scheme commenced or completed winding up procedures prior to 1 April 1997 but the exact date cannot be ascertained, a default value of 1 April 1997 is used as the date on which the scheme commenced or completed winding up procedures. As a result a very large number of schemes are recorded as having commenced or completed winding up procedures with a scheme status change date of 1 April 1997, even if they had commenced or completed winding up procedures at some earlier date. Including schemes with this default date in the table would significantly overstate the number of schemes that commenced or completed winding up procedures during 1997, so a start date of 2 April has been used for 199798.
	6. Total membership includes active, deferred and pensioner members. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of these numbers.
	7. During 200506 the Pensions Regulator will continue with its plans to issue all occupational pension schemes that are registered in the UK a scheme return form. This will provide the Pension Regulator with access to enhanced data in future years.

Work-focused Interviews

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing work-focused interviews for incapacity benefit recipients who do not receive them at the moment.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 23 January 2006
	Almost all incapacity benefit recipients already receive a work-focused interview at some time during their claim if they remain on the benefit for a significant period. All new claimants are interviewed and existing claimants are interviewed at least once every three years.
	However, in the newly published Green Paper A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work, we have said that, as resources allow, we will consider increasing the frequency of work-focused interviews for existing claimants. If every current incapacity benefit recipient were to be interviewed at least once a year, we estimate the cost would be of the order of 80 million annually. The actual costs would be dependent on the numbers joining and leaving the benefit during any one year.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the transportation of live animals intended for use in food products; and what changes have been made to the regulations relating to the transport of horses since 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government would prefer a trade in meat to the long distance transport of live animals to slaughter.
	New welfare in transport rules take effect in January 2007 under EC Regulation 1/2005. The UK supported the new Regulation as it does much to help improve animal welfare in transport, such as better enforcement of the rules, and new training and authorisation procedures. We regret that it did not lower the maximum journey times to slaughter. But there will be an opportunity for a review of journey times in 2011.
	The new rules also contain welfare measures designed to further protect horse welfare. Unbroken horses (not trained to halter) may only be transported up to eight hours and in groups of no more than four. Horses travelling more than eight hours must be in single stalls, as must horses travelling by sea. The hon. Member may also wish to note that there is no evidence of a slaughter trade from this country or any demand for one.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to seek common standards for animal welfare within the EU.

Ben Bradshaw: Common standards for many areas of animal welfare already exist within the European Union (EU). These include standards of welfare on-farm, during transport and at slaughter.
	The Commission's proposals for the next five years are set out in the EU Animal Welfare Action Plan, published on 23 January. We look forward to continued engagement with the Commission and fellow member states on this.

Avian Influenza

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 922W, on avian influenza, what documentary evidence her Department holds to support the statement that the silver eared mesias suspected of dying from avian influenza in quarantine in Essex were bred in captivity in Taiwan.

Ben Bradshaw: The export health certificates issued by the Taiwanese authorities, which accompanied the birds, identify the holding of origin in Taiwan. Representatives of the Taiwanese authorities advised us in a meeting that mesias are bred in captivity on the holding in question.

Beef

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the European Council of Ministers to consider the proposal to lift the EU export ban on British beef.

Ben Bradshaw: The proposal is currently being considered by the Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH). If there is no significant opposition, the Commission have stated that they will put the proposal to a vote at SCoFCAH on 8 March. The proposal would be referred to the Council only if it is not adopted by SCoFCAH. However, the earliest the lifting of the ban could take effect is mid-April.

Beef

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to facilitate the lifting of the EU export ban on British beef.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK Government believe that the lifting of the ban is already overdue and have been working work the Commission to ensure that it is lifted as soon as possible. The Secretary of State has had a number of discussions with Commissioner Kyprianou and has written to member states. The Chief Veterinary Officer has also written to all member states outlining the technical arguments supporting a lifting of the ban. Officials in Defra and in British embassies are in contact with member states and, where necessary, have visited key Government Departments to provide more detailed technical information.

Bovine TB

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate what percentage of skin-tested reacting cattle were subsequently found to have bovine TB when slaughtered.

Ben Bradshaw: When used as a routine screening test, the single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT) is designed to maximise specificity (identification of uninfected animals), while retaining good sensitivity (identification of infected animals). The sensitivity of the SICCT is between 77 per cent. and 95 per cent. Its specificity is above 99 per cent. It is designed to detect an immune response at a relatively early stage in the infection process. Therefore, in most cases, cattle that react to the skin test are considered to have bovine TB.
	Failure to confirm bovine tuberculosis by post-mortem examination at the slaughterhouse, or by culturing Mycobacterium bovis in the laboratory, does not mean that the disease was not present in the animal. In the early stages of the disease, it is not always possible to see lesions with the naked eye, and, due to the fastidious nature of the organism, it is not possible to culture from samples in every case.

Bovine TB

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to farmers of the move to table valuations for compensation.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government's aim is to ensure a fair compensation scheme to cattle owners having animals removed under bovine TB control measures, without it being detrimental to the taxpayer.
	From 1 February 2006, compensation for farmers whose cattle are affected by bovine TB, brucellosis and Enzootic Bovine Leukosis will be determined through a new table valuation system. Each month an average sales price (based on one month's data for non-pedigree cattle and six months' data for pedigree animals) will be calculated for the 47 specified cattle categoriesand these averages will constitute the compensation payment for animals in the same category.
	The effect of the new compensation system on businesses has been considered in the context of a regulatory impact assessment (RIA), available in the House Library. The RIA shows that the new system will reduce the risk of over compensation for bovine TB, and a reduction in total compensation expenditure.

Bovine TB

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce an appeals system as part of the move to using table valuations for awarding cattle compensation.

Ben Bradshaw: Under the new table valuation based compensation system, cattle owners will receive compensation equivalent to the average price achieved, in reported sales across Great Britain, for animals in the same category. As the criteria for determining an animal's category will be clear and objective, we do not believe that an appeals system is necessary.

Bovine TB

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase the level of compensation for reacting cattle; and what assessment she has made of the effect of the existing level of compensation on owners of high value pedigree cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government want compensation arrangements that are fair to cattle owners and the taxpayer.
	On 1 February 2006, we introduced a new table valuation based compensation system for farmers whose cattle are affected by bovine TB, brucellosis or Enzootic Bovine Leukosis. The same system will be introduced for cattle affected by BSE, on 1 March 2006. 47 pre-determined cattle categories are being used; these are based on the animal's age, gender, and type (ie pedigree or non-pedigree).
	The effect of the new compensation system on businesses has been considered in the context of a regulatory impact assessment (RIA), available in the Library of the House.

British Farm Produce

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the (a) bread-making wheat, (b) butter, (c) cheese and (d) beef consumed in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2004 was produced by British farmers.

Ben Bradshaw: The amount of produce available for consumption in the United Kingdom is measured by its total new supply. The following tables show production in the United Kingdom as a proportion of total new supply.
	
		UK production as a proportion of total new supply -- Percentage
		
			  Butter Cheese Beef 
		
		
			 2000 64 63 79 
			 2001 63 66 72 
			 2002 64 65 71 
			 2003 64 62 70 
			 2004 61 61 70 
			 2005(23) 65 63 74 
		
	
	(23) Provisional
	Information specifically on the amount of bread-making wheat consumed in the United Kingdom that was produced by British farmers is not available. However, available data show that the following proportion of home grown wheat was used by United Kingdom millers:
	
		UK proportion of home grown wheat used by millers in the UK
		
			 Wheat Percentage 
		
		
			 2000 82 
			 2001 85 
			 2002 83 
			 2003 85 
			 2004 86 
		
	
	The data include wheat milled to produce bread, biscuits, other food ingredients and starch, where production of flour for bread making was typically around 60 per cent. of the total flour produced over this time period. No data are yet available for 2005.

Buncefield Oil Depot

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to track and evaluate the ongoing environmental effects of the recent oil refinery explosion in Hertfordshire.

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental studies have been undertaken by her Department in Hemel Hempstead to assess the consequences of the Buncefield oil depot fire and subsequent explosion.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 2 February 2006
	The main environmental consequences of concern relate to possible contamination of surface and ground waters, safety of drinking water supplies and gaseous and particulate emissions to the atmosphere.
	Efforts to contain contaminated water and fuel were largely successful; firewater on the site has now been removed and is stored in secure off-site storage tanks. The site is still under the control of the Health and Safety Executive and Police and a detailed site investigation is under way. Drinking water sources in the surrounding area continue to be monitored and to date have shown no impacts attributable to the Buncefield incident.
	Recent investigations have revealed that a road drain immediately to the north of the site contains a borehole extending into the underlying strata that contains a black liquid, which is currently being analysed. The Environment Agency will continue to monitor the situation and work with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, local water companies, the Health Protection Agency, the site operators and other relevant bodies to carry out these investigations and develop any remedial action necessary. Three Valleys Water have been informed of these findings, but the company is not currently abstracting from the nearby boreholes. More information, results from analysis and further sampling will be needed before the EA can clarify the extent of any groundwater pollution.
	Regarding emissions to air, the main air pollutants of concern from hydrocarbon fuel fires are emitted as particulate matter especially those particles of respirable size (referred to as PM10), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, measured as benzo(a) pyrene. In the very high temperatures of the fire (3000oC) however all organic chemicals will be completely destroyed. There is the possibility that in the cooler margins of the fire and during the relatively short period at the end of the fire, some of the products of incomplete combustion at the lower temperatures may be hazardous.
	Monitoring undertaken close to the fire when the fire brigade began to attack the blaze did pick up elevated areas of particulates and of hydrocarbon solvents for a short period but this was foreseen and, provided that the warnings given beforehand were complied with, no public health effects are envisaged. None of the data from later air monitoring indicated any values that were outside the normal range of ambient air levels.
	There is no ongoing risk to air quality from the Buncefield fire as the pollutants have been widely dispersed through the atmosphere and, in general, have had no discernable impact on background levels of pollution. The following exceptions were consistent with the footprint of the plume and may have been associated with its descent to ground level. On the evening of Sunday 11 and early in the morning of Monday 12 December, monitoring sites in parts of east Surrey and Sussex detected PM 1 0 particulate concentrations reaching 'moderate' levels in Horsham and Lewes. Monitoring sites in north London and St. Albans also showed slightly elevated concentrations, but remained in the 'low' air pollution band.
	On the evening of Tuesday 13, PM 1 0 particulate was detected at the Barnet 2 background sites and on the morning of Wednesday 14, PM 1 0 particulate was detected at the Watford 1 site. In both cases concentrations remained 'low'.
	Throughout the period of the fire 'moderate' PM 1 0 particulate was measured at several roadside sites in London. This was due to road transport sources and was not directly related to the smoke from the oil depot fire. 'Moderate' PM 1 0 concentrations at the Chichester 1 site were due to nearby road resurfacing.
	Levels of pollution in the UK during the course of the fire were therefore within the normal range of ambient air levels at each location, and are not considered exceptional.
	A report of the supplementary air quality monitoring carried out by Defra at the time of the fire is currently in preparation and is planned for publication in March 2006. The Health Protection Agency is currently carrying out an assessment of the impacts on human health of the Buncefield fire. There have been no substantive immediate health effects reported from the areas affected by the fire and plume. A multi-agency surveillance steering group, chaired by the Health Protection Agency, is working on projects to assess whether any long-term effects (physical, psychological and toxic) might occur and work-streams are proceeding.
	Regarding emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, I refer the hon. Member to the Minister of State for Environment's reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), published in on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 10W.

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) fixed penalty notices have been issued and (b) successful prosecutions have been brought in Tamworth constituency under each section of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 that has been brought into force to date.

Ben Bradshaw: The fixed penalty provisions contained in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 will not be commenced until April this year. Figures for this coming fiscal year will be available in June 2007.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what projections she has made regarding UK carbon dioxide figures for each year until 2010;
	(2)  what projections she made regarding UK carbon dioxide figures for 2005.

Elliot Morley: Final UK greenhouse gas emissions for 1990 to 2004 were published by Defra on 23 January 2006. Net carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions (ie emissions from sources minus removals by sinks) were 152.5 million tonnes of carbon equivalent (MtC) for 2004. Provisional estimates of UK CO 2 emissions for 2005 are due to be published by Defra and DTI on 30 March 2006.
	The headline figures from the most recent CO 2 emissions projections for 2010 were published in the Government's Energy Review consultation paper, Our Energy Challenge: securing clean, affordable energy for the long term, on 23 January 2006. These show that, based on current measures only, CO 2 emissions are projected to be 144.2 MtC in 2010. The revised Climate Change Programme, which we will publish shortly, will contain additional measures to reduce further our CO 2 emissions.

Climate Change

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to reach agreement with the heat treatment sector on eligibility for climate change levy exemption; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Regulations to enact the new eligibility criteria under which the heat treatment sector is able to enter into the Climate Change Agreements came into force on Saturday 21 January 2006. The heat treatment sector's Climate Change Umbrella Agreement was signed on Monday 23 January 2006. On the same day, most of the individual facilities' underlying Climate Change Agreements were also signed and their details notified to HM Revenue and Customs for entry on to their website. This gives access to the 80 per cent. discount from the Climate Change Levy to which these facilities are now entitled. Applications for five heat treatment companies were incomplete. We expect to be able to sign these agreements this week.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the Climate Change Programme Review.

Elliot Morley: We are aiming to publish the revised UK Climate Change Programme as soon as possible this year.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to other Government Departments regarding the Climate Change Programme review; and what response has been received.

Elliot Morley: We have been working closely with other Government Departments throughout the Climate Change Programme review. We are aiming to publish the outcomes of this work in the revised UK Climate Change Programme as soon as possible this year.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the steps which need to be taken on an annual basis in order to meet long-term carbon reduction targets up to 2050;
	(2)  what measures have been taken to ensure that Government long-term targets on climate change meet emission reduction pathways.

Elliot Morley: The Government recognise that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases depend on the amounts emitted, so emissions reduction pathways are as important as the targets themselves.
	The Energy White Paper said we would put ourselves on a path to cut the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. by about 2050, with real progress by 2020. To achieve the 2050 target we would need to reduce emissions by, on average, about 2 MtC a year. However, some annual fluctuation in emissions is inevitable due to uncontrollable factors such as the weather. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, for example, is for five years rather than a single target year to smooth out annual fluctuations in emissions.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding climate change targets based on 550 parts per million; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Various representations on the issues of future action on climate change and stabilisation levels have been received by the Department. The EU, including the UK, has set as an objective to keep global temperatures from rising by more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The EU Environment Council in March 2005 noted that in order to have a reasonable chance to limit global warming to no more than two degrees Celsius, stabilisation of concentrations well below 550 parts per million CO 2 equivalent may be needed.

Correspondence

Patrick Cormack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will reply to the hon. Member for South Staffordshire's letter of 5 September 2005 on training grants for fisheries officers.

Ben Bradshaw: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 27 January 2006. I will arrange for a further copy to be sent.

Departmental Research

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review current arrangements for ensuring that departmental research and findings are totally impartial.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has a varied and wide ranging programme of auditing and peer reviewing the outputs of its research. This relies on using external experts to advise the Department on the robustness and reliability of the research. This programme, on which we receive regular feedback, is continuous and ongoing, examining either individual pieces of research or entire research programmes.
	The Department's science quality assurance and peer review processes were reviewed last year by the Department's independent Science Advisory Council. Their report is published on the Department's website.

Departmental Research

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the research budget of her Department was in each year since its inception.

Ben Bradshaw: The research budget for Defra for 200105 is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 144 
			 200203 144 
			 200304 146 
			 200405 152

Energy Policy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress towards meeting Government combined heat and power targets.

Elliot Morley: The Government target for CHP is to achieve at least 10 gigawatts of Good Quality CHP capacity by 2010. We are not at present on course to achieve the target. Installed capacity at the end of 2004 was 5.6 gigawatts and figures for 2005 will be contained in the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics, due to be published in the summer. We are analysing potential new support measures as part of the Climate Change Programme Review process.

Fallen Stock

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance she has given to farmers concerning the disposal of fallen stock.

Ben Bradshaw: The current rules on disposal of fallen stock have applied from May 2003 and the National Fallen Stock Scheme started in November 2004. Guidance on these can be found on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/fallen/fallen.htm and the National Fallen Stock Scheme website at http://www.nationalfallenstock.co.uk. The National Fallen Stock Company also communicates regularly with its members.

Fallen Stock

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the level of additional carbon emissions generated between 1 January 2005 and 1 January 2006 through, and ancillary to, the incineration of fallen stock necessitated as a result of the ban on on-farm burial.

Ben Bradshaw: None. The ban on burying on-farm fallen stock was introduced by the EU Animal By-Products Regulation 1774/2002. It is there to protect public and animal health from any potential risks associated with the burial of fallen stock.

Fisheries

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the maximum permitted length is of a bottom set gillnet or entangling net used by UK fishing vessels of 12 metres or more in length, operating in ICES areas VII e, f, g, h and j; and what the (a) average and (b) maximum length is of nets being used by these vessels.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no restrictions on the maximum length of bottom set gillnets or tangle nets in ICES areas VII e, f, g, h and j. The length of netting used varies greatly but we do not have data on the average or maximum length s used.

Fisheries

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the (a) Government of Ireland and (b) EU Commission regarding the use of Irish salmon drift nets in relation to the Habitats Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 January 2006
	The UK Government regularly impresses upon the Irish Government the need to take steps to reduce and eventually eliminate the impact of the Irish salmon drift net fishery on UK salmon stocks and I have raised the issue directly with my Irish counterparts on several occasions. The issue has also been raised regularly at informal meetings between UK and Irish officials and in discussions with the European Commission and with other EU member states in the context of the EU's commitments to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO). The Commission is understood to be considering what proposals it might make to the Fisheries Council on the regulation of salmon fishing in EU waters. To that end it commissioned a report (to which scientists from the UK and Ireland contributed) on the impact of coastal salmon fisheries on the conservation of in-river stocks.
	We understand that the European Commission has issued a letter of formal complaint to the Irish Government about the effects of drift netting on the conservation status of salmon. This is the first step towards a possible Action in the European Court of Justice against Ireland in respect of its failure to meet obligations towards salmon under the EC Habitats Directive. Unless and until such time as the Commission formally institutes such action, its case against the Irish Government is not a matter of public record, nor is the UK Government given the opportunity to comment.

Operating and Financial Review

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department had with the Treasury before the decision not to proceed with Operating and Financial Review; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 31 January 2006
	Discussions were held at various levels, including between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, before the decision was taken to remove the obligation on businesses to publish operating and financial reviews.

Poultry Farmers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the UK has met the EU directive requirement that all commercial poultry keepers are registered; and what definition of commercial is used for this purpose.

Ben Bradshaw: In order to meet the requirements of Directive 2005/94/EC, the Great Britain Poultry Register was launched on 9 December 2005. Commercial premises of 50 birds or more have until 28 February 2006 to register with the Department.
	The definitions for poultry and commercial poultry premises are those used in the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures)(No. 2) Regulations 2005. For the purpose of the Register, poultry means all birds that are reared or kept in captivity for the production of meat or eggs for consumption, the production of other commercial products, for restocking supplies of game or for the purposes of any breeding programme for the production of these categories of birds. Commercial poultry premises means premises where poultry are kept for commercial purposes and does not include premises where all poultry (and their eggs) are kept by their owners for their own consumption or as pets.
	No formal legal definition exists of the term commercial. Ultimately it would be for the courts to define, but in principle, the word should be given its ordinary meaning. Having said that, commercial activities typically involve the exchange of money, goods or services. Using an example from the game world, we think that premises rearing and/or releasing gamebirds are likely to be commercial poultry premises, as activities on these premises would involve some level of commercial transaction. The supply of birds/carcases to third parties for services rendered would count as commercial. It is possible, however, that small private syndicates communally owning, shooting and consuming all their birds would classify as non-commercial premises.
	If there is any uncertainty about premises with more than 50 poultry being commercial, we recommend that the premises are registered. Information on the GB Poultry Register can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/vetsurveillance/poultry/index. htm.

Poultry Farmers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many poultry farmers there are in the United Kingdom who have (a) over 50 birds and (b) 50 or under birds; and how many have signed up to the National Poultry Register.

Ben Bradshaw: Government and various individual poultry organisations hold information separately but currently no central register exists of how many poultry farmers there are in the UK with (a) over 50 or (b) 50 and under birds.
	Defra, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government have developed the Great Britain Poultry Register, which opened on 9 December 2005, to gather essential information about the numbers and location of poultry held on commercial premises. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland is also capturing data about poultry premises but on a separate database. We are liaising closely so information can be effectively collated on a UK level.
	The total number of poultry premises registered by 18 January on the GB Poultry Register was 3201. Reports containing a breakdown of the numbers in terms of flock size are currently being developed and will be available shortly.
	Further information on the GB Poultry Register can be accessed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/vetsurveillance/poultry/index.htm

Poultry Farmers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what form of registration system there is in place for poultry farmers who keep under 50 birds.

Ben Bradshaw: There is no legal requirement for keepers of fewer than 50 poultry to be registered on the Great Britain Poultry Register.
	However they can register on a voluntary basis if they wish using the same registration system that is available to poultry keepers with more than 50 birds; either the telephone (to register by freephone using a trained adviser), by post or by e-mail (by downloading a form from the Great Britain Poultry Register web page).
	Further information on the GB Poultry Register can be accessed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/vetsurveillance/poultry/index.htm

Poultry Imports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which countries (a) untreated feathers, (b) raw poultry meat, (c) uncooked eggs and egg products and (d) live poultry and game have been imported in each of the last five years; and what quantity of each product was imported in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 January 2006
	Details of the imports requested as recorded in the Overseas Trade Statistics are provided in the tables made available in the Library of the House.
	Note that China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Pakistan and South Africa have been banned from exporting unprocessed feathers and parts of unprocessed feathers since January 2004. This is in line with the usual bans in effect on any country affected by, or suspected to have, highly pathogenic avian influenzaHPAI. Only processed feathers have been allowed to be imported from these countries since January 2004.

Sewage

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of human sewage sludge was disposed of on (a) agricultural land and (b) by other means in each of the last five years.

Elliot Morley: The total number of dry solid tonnes of sewage sludge recycled to agricultural land and disposed of by other means in England and Wales in the years 200004 was as follows:
	
		
			  Agriculture Other routes 
		
		
			 2000 556,798 384,326 
			 2001 664,685 365,036 
			 2002 701,249 490,015 
			 2003 802,555 476,781 
			 2004 796,927 424,117 
		
	
	Note:
	Under The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989, agriculture means the growing of all types of commercial food crops, including for stock-rearing purposes. Before being applied to agricultural land, sludge from wastewater treatment plants is treated in accordance with the Safe Sludge Matrix.
	Source:
	Water UK

Sustainable Building

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on Government procurement in relation to sustainable building practices.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government is committed to supporting sustainable building practices through best practice procurement by the public sector. The mandated 'Common Minimum Standards for the procurement of built environments in the Public Sector' (CMS), published by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), includes a sustainability standard that states:
	Project and programme procurement strategies will take full account of the Government's commitment to sustainable development and of the economic, environmental and social impacts of its decisions.
	The CMS and other relevant construction procurement guidance are available on the OGC website www.ogc.gov.uk

UK Food Security

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on UK food security.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government naturally takes the issue of food security very seriously. Food security is about ensuring that consumers have access to a stable and adequate supply of food, whether domestically produced or imported. The UK has long been a net importer of food and national and international food security is best facilitated through improved trading relationships based on more open international markets and reductions in trade distorting subsidies.
	Food supply is robust and resilient because of the high degree of demand and supply-side substitutability of foodstuffs. DEFRA works closely with all parts of the industry to ensure that appropriate support is provided to maintain supply throughout the chain in the event of significant disruption.

UK Food Security

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the percentage of (a) indigenous food and (b) all food consumed in the UK produced in the UK; and if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on amounts of food imported.

Ben Bradshaw: The latest published figures for 2004 show the UK was (a) 74.2 per cent. self-sufficient in indigenous food and (b) 63.4 per cent. self-sufficient in all food. This compares with figures for 2000 of 80.3 per cent. and 66.8 per cent. respectively.
	The Government naturally takes the issue of food security very seriously. Food security is about ensuring that consumers have access to a stable and adequate supply of food, whether domestically produced or imported. The UK has long been a net importer of food and national and international food security is best facilitated through improved trading relationships based on more open international markets and reductions in trade distorting subsidies.
	Food supply is robust and resilient because of the high degree of demand and supply-side substitutability of foodstuffs. DEFRA works closely with all parts of the industry to ensure that appropriate support is provided to maintain supply throughout the chain in the event of significant disruption.

Waste Management

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities provide a kerbside collection service for recyclable materials; and which separate materials are collected in each of these local authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: All local authorities in England with responsibility for waste collection (except for the Council of the Isles of Scilly) operate some form of kerbside collection service for recyclable materials.
	Local authorities have provided information in the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey. The data for 200304 on the materials that are collected separately for recycling is shown in the tablea copy has been placed in the Library of the House. These have been coded as:
	Apaper and card, Bglass, Ccompost, Dscrap metal and white goods, Etextiles, Fcans, Gplastics.
	Where information from the 200304 survey is not available, the most recent available information prior to 200304 has been used. Data from the 200405 survey will be available in spring 2006.
	Some authorities have been listed with no separate materials recycled. These authorities will normally provide a form of kerbside waste collection service which will include at least some of the materials listed, but collected in a co-mingled format.
	It should be noted that many local authorities are quite active regarding their kerbside recycling services. Authorities sometimes change and update current schemes as well as introduce new schemes. In this respect, listed activity may not reflect recent changes in kerbside collection services.

Water

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the level of debt owed to water companies for non-payment of water rates; what discussions she has had with the water companies on this issue, with particular reference to the policy of non-disconnection except in extreme circumstances; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Customer debt is primarily the responsibility of water companies to manage. Companies still have a range of means to recover payments, including through the courts. The previous power of water companies to disconnect household customers for non-payment of water bills was ended, by the Water Industry Act 1999, without any qualification concerning extreme circumstances. Water companies, in their discussions with Ministers and officials, are not pressing for the power to disconnect to be restored. I am prepared to consider any suggestions for how Government should help companies to tackle customer debt. The industry itself needs to identify and apply best practice in debt management, and I welcome companies' efforts to do so.
	The responsibility for the economic regulation of the water industry rests with the Director-General of Water Services (Ofwat). Ofwat monitors companies' debt situation on an annual basis.
	The following table presents figures provided by Ofwat on the revenue outstanding to water companies by household customers. This table sets out key indicators for 199899, 200304 and 200405. It also shows the percentage changes between these years.
	
		
			 200405 prices 199899 200304 200405 Percentage change between 199899 and 200405 Percentage change between 200304 and 200405 
		
		
			 Household revenue outstanding 48 months(24) 705 804 828 17 3 
			 Household revenue outstanding 12 months(24) 381 377 400 5 6 
			 Household revenue outstanding 1224 months(24) 175 203 204 16 1 
			 Household revenue outstanding 2448 months(24) 148 224 224 51 0 
			 Household revenue outstanding 48 months(24) n/a 120 134 n/a 11 
			 Household revenue outstanding 12 months as a  percentage of household revenue billed in that year 7 7 8 n/a n/a 
			 Household revenue written off 69 96 114 65 19 
			 Household revenue written off as a percentage of  household revenue billed in that year 1.3 1.9 2.2 n/a n/a 
		
	
	(24) Includes revenue written off.
	Notes:
	1. All numbers are rounded for ease of reference.
	2. Percentage changes are derived from unrounded numbers.

Water

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the current level of the water table in the area supplying Peterborough constituency.

Elliot Morley: Peterborough's water requirements are supplied by Rutland Water whose level is currently 80 per cent. of capacity. The nearest groundwater is to the north of Peterborough where the level is 11.89 metres Above Ordnance Datum (mAOD), which is slightly above the long term average for this time of year of 11.73mAOD.

Wheat Stores

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days' supply of bread making wheat have been in store in England over the last four years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 30 January 2006
	We do not have information specifically on supply levels of bread making wheat in store in England.
	However data on the stock level for all milling wheat are collected under the Defra monthly survey of wheat milled in the UK. This includes wheat milled to produce bread, biscuits, other food ingredients and starch, where production of flour for bread making was typically around 60 per cent. of the total flour produced. Assuming typical utilisation and production levels, it is estimated that UK millers have held approximately 1525 days supply and on average 20 days supply of all types of wheat for milling in the last four years. The wheat stocks include both UK and imported wheat grain.
	Further significant stocks of UK produced and/or imported wheat which may be used for bread making will be held at other points in the supply chain such as on farm, by merchants, at ports or by co-ops. We do not have information on the volume or proportion of these wheat stocks that are of bread making quality.

WALES

Christmas Cards

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office spent 760 on Christmas cards in 2005.
	The postage charges of the Christmas cards were not separately identified from the rest of the Department's mail. This figure can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 531W, on council tax, how many of the 1,765 appeals resulted in being moved (a) up and (b) down council tax bands.

Nick Ainger: Where, on re-assessment, no reduction in banding is found to be appropriate, the taxpayer is invited to withdraw their appeal.
	It follows that the 1,765 appeals referred to by my right hon. Friend all resulted in movement to a lower band.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether (a) the Valuation Office Agency and (b) its contractors took photographs of any domestic properties for valuation purposes during the council tax revaluation in Wales.

Nick Ainger: The Valuation Office Agency did not use contractors during the council tax revaluation in Wales.
	The Valuation Office Agency took external photographs of domestic properties, where required, for banding purposes and to assist the listing officers to arrive at fair and accurate valuations.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the items of departmental property worth over 100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: None.

Early Retirement

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many departmental employees have taken early retirement due to ill-health in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Nick Ainger: None

Jewish Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Office did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office is a small Department, and did not host any specific events to mark Hannukah or Yom Kippur. However, Wales Office staff come under the umbrella of the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and in line with their diversity policies, sympathetic consideration is given by managers to any requests for time off to mark religious festivals. Our staff are encouraged to participate in DCA's diversity networks, and we are currently represented on their Faith Forum. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently attended the Holocaust Memorial Day Commemorative Event, which was held in Cardiff.

Lyons Inquiry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the written submissions from his Department to the Lyons Inquiry into local government.

Peter Hain: The Lyons Inquiry is independent of the Government. Sir Michael Lyons will decide what to publish when he makes available his final report.

Probation and Prison Services

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what matters relating to (a) the Probation Service and (b) the Prison Service in Wales are devolved.

Peter Hain: These services are not devolved. However the National Offender Management Service works closely with the Welsh Assembly Government in respect of any activity that touches on devolved matters. Furthermore, under the Children Act 2004 the Assembly will be able, with the consent of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, to issue guidance to local probation boards and youth offending teams on co-operating with other public bodies in their area with a view to improving the well-being of children.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what role the Valuation Office Agency is playing in collating (a) value significant code and (b) dwellinghouse code data in Wales for council tax valuation purposes.

Peter Hain: The Valuation Office Agency has collected and recorded data on dwellings in paper form for a considerable time, initially for domestic rating and now for council tax. This data is currently being digitised to increase the overall cost efficiency of the Agency's operations and deliver further improvements in customer service for the taxpayer in Wales.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to introduce (a) computer-assisted mass appraisal and (b) the automated valuation model in Wales for council tax valuation purposes.

Peter Hain: The Valuation Office Agency is currently exploring the potential for the use of the automated valuation model to support work in connection with the maintenance of the current (2005) council tax lists in Wales. The objective would be to increase the overall cost efficiency of the Agency's operations and to deliver further improvements in customer service for the taxpayer in Wales. However, it would be for the Welsh Assembly Government to agree its implementation, scope and application.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate the Valuation Office Agency has made of the number of homes in Wales which will move up a further council tax band in April as the first stage of transitional relief is phased out, broken down by local authority.

Peter Hain: The Valuation Office Agency has made no such estimate as calculation of council tax liability and the operation of the transitional relief scheme are not matters for them.
	The transitional relief scheme announced by the Welsh Assembly Government remains in place and will ensure that no household will move up by more than one band in year one, two bands in year two, or three bands in year three of the scheme.
	The total number of properties showing an increase of two or more bands as at 31 December 2005 is 60,073. The breakdown by Billing Authority is in the table as follows:
	
		Council taxWales as at 31 December 2005
		
			 Billing authority Moved by more than 1 band 
		
		
			 Isle of Anglesey 1,552 
			 Gwynedd 3,477 
			 Cardiff 18,582 
			 Ceredigion 1,738 
			 Carmarthenshire 2,617 
			 Denbighshire 1,938 
			 Flintshire 2,856 
			 Monmouthshire 2,286 
			 Pembrokeshire 2,624 
			 Powys 5,263 
			 Swansea 2,206 
			 Conwy 1,492 
			 Blaenau Gwent 74 
			 Bridgend 776 
			 Caerphilly 1,606 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 132 
			 Neath Port Talbot 540 
			 Newport 1,624 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 1,393 
			 Torfaen 432 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 3,030 
			 Wrexham 3,835 
			 Total 60,073

NORTHERN IRELAND

Accident and Emergency Departments

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many NHS hospitals have (a) closed and (b) downgraded their accident and emergency departments in each of the last seven years.

Shaun Woodward: My Department has made significant investment in AE services in recent years, increasing the number of AE consultants in post by some 68 per cent. from 19 in 2000 to 32 in 2005. In financial terms total annual investment in AE services has increased by almost 65 per cent. from just under 34 million in 19992000 to over 56 million in 200304 (the latest year for which figures are available).
	In 2000, following concerns about the safety and sustainability of services, AE and other acute services were transferred from South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon to Craigavon Area Hospital. South Tyrone Hospital continues to provide a doctor-led minor injuries service, together with a wide range of other hospital services, including day surgery, outpatients and diagnostics.
	More recently, in response to similar safety and sustainability concerns, I announced in December 2005 that full AE services for the Sperrin Lakeland area would be consolidated on the Erne Hospital site in Enniskillen, with the Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh providing a 24-hour, doctor-led urgent care and treatment centre.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what training has been provided to local councils on the use of antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years; and what the cost of the training was in each year.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Office Community Safety Unit, in conjunction with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, provided five training sessions during January and February 2005 for practitioners from the police, Housing Executive and local councils throughout Northern Ireland on using antisocial behaviour orders. These training sessions cost the NIO 6,009.42.
	The Community Safety Unit also assisted councils in running two further training sessions on antisocial behaviour orders in June 2005 specifically for council officers. The total cost of these sessions for the councils was 1,522.70.

Bed Occupancy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average bed occupancy rate was for each of Northern Ireland's acute hospitals during 2005.

Shaun Woodward: Percentage bed occupancy rates during 200405, for all hospitals that carry out specialties from the acute programme of care, are shown in the following table.
	
		Percentage bed occupancy by hospital for 200405
		
			 Hospital Percentage 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Area 81.0 
			 Antrim 81.3 
			 Ards 84.9 
			 Bangor 88.2 
			 Belfast City 85.2 
			 Belvoir Park NICCO 86.5 
			 Braid Valley 93.8 
			 Causeway Hospital 80.6 
			 Craigavon Area 81.7 
			 Daisy Hill 79.9 
			 Dalriada 77.8 
			 Downe 87.1 
			 Erne 64.5 
			 Forster Green 70.6 
			 Lagan Valley 87.6 
			 Lurgan 87.4 
			 Mater Infirmorum 91.3 
			 Mid Ulster 83.5 
			 Moyle 81.5 
			 Musgrave Park 71.2 
			 RBHSC 67.9 
			 Robinson Memorial 79.6 
			 Royal Maternity 61.0 
			 Royal Victoria 87.4 
			 Thompson House 95.0 
			 Tyrone County 77.2 
			 Ulster 90.2 
			 Whiteabbey 93.7 
			 Northern Ireland 83.0 
		
	
	Note:
	Day case admissions are excluded from the calculation for bed occupancy.
	Source:
	Departmental Information Return KH03a.

Birthing Centres

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many midwife-led birthing centres are planned for Northern Ireland over the next five years; and where they will be.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are committed to providing the women of Northern Ireland with a range of choices in their maternity care. High quality, consultant-led maternity services are already available to all of the population of Northern Ireland.
	To broaden choice for women we are working towards increasing the number of midwife-led units that are located on the same site as consultant obstetric units. There is currently one such unit in Northern Ireland, at Craigavon Area Hospital. We have plans to develop similar units at other hospitals including Altnagelvin Hospital, the Ulster Hospital and the new Belfast Maternity Hospital.
	In addition, boards and trusts, in conjunction with their local communities, are able to consider the development of stand-alone midwife-led units in locations where there is the support of local professionals, where safe and effective emergency transfer arrangements are in place and where the introduction of such a unit would not impact on the viability of any neighbouring consultant-led unit.
	The Eastern Health and Social Services Board, working with Down Lisburn Trust plans to locate a stand-alone midwife-led unit in Downpatrick in 2007, subject to approval of the business case. At this time, no other board has indicated an intention to develop a stand-alone unit.

CCTV (Londonderry)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in relation to the request from community representatives to provide CCTV coverage at the Irish Street/Top of the Hill interface in Londonderry.

David Hanson: The Government continues to support the development of CCTV for town and city centres throughout Northern Ireland
	19 city, town and large village centres currently benefit from surveillance by CCTV cameras and a further 2 million has been allocated to build on these systems and provide new systems where necessary. Detailed proposals must be submitted by 31 March and it is hoped that the first new systems will be up and running by late summer 2006.
	Londonderry DCU are compiling a proposal to address the concerns of community representatives in the Irish St/Top of the Hill interface in Londonderry. Officials will consider the proposal in consultation with the PSNI when it is received.

Delayed Discharges

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many delayed discharges of elderly patients there are in NHS hospitals because of lack of finance to allocate them beds in nursing or residential homes.

Shaun Woodward: At 31 December 2005, there were 59 elderly patients who have had their discharge delayed in NHS hospitals because no package of care or placement in institutional care was available. This figure could include those who require funding for domiciliary care as well as funding to allocate patients beds in nursing or residential homes.
	Notes:
	This figure is provisional and is subject to change. Patients who were 65 years of age or older at 31 December 2005 are categorised as elderly.

Farm Fed Chickens

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken by Invest Northern Ireland to offer assistance and retraining to the employees at Farm Fed Chickens following the announcement by the company on Friday 27 January.

Angela Smith: Invest NI has no remit to provide assistance to companies making staff redundant, nor to the employees concerned. This role is undertaken by staff of the Department for Employment and Learning.
	The Department for Employment and Learning will provide advice and support for all employees who lose their jobs as a result of redundancy. Staff from the local Jobs and Benefits Office will provide advice on alternative job opportunities and access to training courses and will also ensure that those who have lost their jobs are able to access advice on a range of other issues such as benefits and taxation. The Department will also support employers who are expanding their workforce or creating new jobs by providing job brokering services and suitable training programmes where appropriate. Initial contact was made with Farm Fed Chickens on 27 January to offer the Department's services and a further meeting is arranged for Thursday 2 February 2006.

Hare Coursing

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a ban on hare coursing in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: It is acknowledged that the issue of hare coursing in Northern Ireland concerns many people, however, there are no immediate plans to propose specific legislation to ban hare coursing.

Home Start

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Home Start Project.

Shaun Woodward: DHSSPS allocates approximately 45,000 core funding per annum for Home Start in Northern Ireland to assist its administration. In addition, funding for Home Start services totalled 1.1 million in 200405, as detailed in the following table:
	
		000
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 HSS trusts/boards 503 
			 Sure Start 287 
			 The Children's Fund 175 
			 Childhood Fund 43 
			 Peace II European Funding 31 
			 Executive Fund for Children 20 
			 Total 1,059 
		
	
	The figures for 200506 are not yet available.
	The future funding for Home Start will be determined within the priorities and resources of HSS boards and trusts and in liaison with Sure Start projects.

Hospice Care

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was to public funds of supporting each institution set up to offer hospice care in Northern Ireland in 2005.

Shaun Woodward: Four voluntary institutions provide hospice care in Northern Ireland. They each receive funding from the HPSS for the provision of agreed in-patient and community hospice services. The funding provided in 200506 is approximately as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 The Northern Ireland Hospice 1.90 
			 The Marie Curie Cancer Centre 1.60 
			 The Foyle Hospice 0.25 
			 The Southern Area Hospice 0.60 
			 Total 4.35 
		
	
	In addition to the aforementioned funding for services, the NI hospice also receives a core grant from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety towards its administration costs. In 200405 a grant was made of 117,000.

Hospital Stays (Duration)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average length of stay in hospital in the Province was in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: Figures for average length of stay in Northern Ireland hospitals from 199495 to 200405 are provided in the following table.
	
		Days
		
			  Average length of stay in hospital 
		
		
			 199495 9.9 
			 199596 9.4 
			 199697 9.1 
			 199798 8.7 
			 199899 7.9 
			 19992000 7.8 
			 200001 7.7 
			 200102 7.8 
			 200203 7.8 
			 200304 7.8 
			 200405 7.6 
		
	
	Note:
	Day cases are excluded from the calculation of average length of stay.
	Source :
	Departmental Information Return KHO3A.

Inward Investment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answers of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 632W, and 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 328W, on inward investment, what assessment he has made of what further steps should be taken to increase the level of foreign direct investment into Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given on 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 632W, and on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 329W, on this and closely-related subjects.
	Each year Invest NI assesses the foreign direct investment market and outlines the strategy and targets for the year ahead in an International Sales and Marketing Plan that is presented to the Invest NI Board for discussion and approval. This plan analyses performance across all geographical locations and sectors in which Invest NI actively promotes Northern Ireland as an attractive location where new investors can profitably and successfully do business.

M2 (Daily Usage)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what the average daily number of vehicles using the M2 Motorway outbound between Belfast and (a) Sandyknowes junction, (b) Sandyknowes junction and the A26 junction and (c) the A26 junction and the Toome bypass was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average number of vehicles using the Londonderry/Limavady main road through Ballykelly village was in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to these questions.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 6 February 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland two Parliamentary Questions:
	(i) The average daily number of vehicles using the M2 Motorway outbound between Belfast and (a) Sandyknowes junction, (b) Sandyknowes junction and the A26 junction and (c) the A26 junction and the Toome bypass was on the latest date for which figures are available; and
	(ii) What the average number of vehicles using the Londonderry/Limavady main road through Ballykelly village was in each of the last five years.
	I have been asked to reply as the issues raised fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	By way of background I should explain that Roads Service collects traffic volume data by means of 270 automatic census points strategically located throughout the Northern Ireland road network. The information is recorded for one week in each quarter during the year and an annual average calculated. The results are published in Roads Service's annual Traffic and Travel Information Report, which presents the traffic volumes in a variety of formats for each site.
	The latest data on the average daily number of vehicles using the M2 Motorway outbound from Belfast is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Location Average daily flow 
		
		
			 M2 Between Belfast and Sandyknowes 32,230 
			 M2 Between Sandyknowes and A26 15,520 
			 M2 Between A26 and Toome Bypass 9,130 
		
	
	The available data on the average volume of vehicles per day recorded in each of the last five years on the A2 through Ballykelly, is shown in the table below.
	
		
			  A2 Limavady-Londonderry at Greysteel 
		
		
			 2001 13,870 
			 2002 14,130 
			 2003 14,290 
			 2004 14,270 
			 2005 14,534 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful.

Mobile Phone Tracking

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether technology is available to the Police Service for Northern Ireland to allow it to use mobile phone tracking to pursue investigations into (a) missing persons and (b) missing persons believed to be underwater.

Shaun Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland utilises the same technology as is available to law enforcement agencies in the rest of the United Kingdom and deploys that technology in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in investigations, including missing persons investigations, where appropriate. Mobile phones under water are highly likely to be inoperable; and even if operable the signal would not transmit effectively.

Ophthalmology

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time is for a routine initial ophthalmology (a) outpatient and (b) inpatient assessment at each health trust in the Province that offers the service.

Shaun Woodward: Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) length of time waiting. It is however possible to identify the median or mid-point waiting time band.
	latest available waiting list statistics show the position at 30 September 2005. It is not possible to identify routine ophthalmology cases. However, the median waiting time for all initial ophthalmology (a) outpatient appointments and (b) inpatient admissions at each health trust in Northern Ireland for applicable trusts, at30 September 2005 is shown in the table.
	
		Median waiting time for ophthalmology assessment at 30 September 2005
		
			 Health trust (a) Outpatient (b) Inpatient 
		
		
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 35 months 35 months 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 02 months (25) 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 911 months (25) 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 35 months 02 months 
			 Mater Infirmorium HSS Trust 35 months 35 months 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 68 months 35 months 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 02 months (25) 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 68 months (25) 
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 35 months 02 months 
			 NI 35 months 35 months 
		
	
	(25) Not applicable.
	Source:
	Departmental Information Returns CH1 Parts A and B and CH3 Parts 1 and 2.

Organised Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on levels of organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The 2005 Organised Crime Task Force Annual Report has made clear that the overall levels of organised criminal activity remain high. The fact remains that all organised criminality, from whatever source, is unacceptable and it must come to an end. Good progress is being madelast year 28 top level organised crime gangs in Northern Ireland were disrupted or dismantled and assets totalling 12 million were restrained or confiscated by the partner agencies of the Organised Crime Task Force.

Paramilitary-style Attacks

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many paramilitary-style attacks have taken place by (a) Republican and (b) Loyalist sources in each of the past 18 months.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows.
	
		Paramilitary style attacks (shootings)
		
			  Loyalist Republican Total 
		
		
			 2004
			 August 9 4 13 
			 September 9 1 10 
			 October 11 0 11 
			 November 4 0 4 
			 December 2 1 3 
			 
			 2005
			 January 4 4 8 
			 February 6 2 8 
			 March 4 0 4 
			 April 5 2 7 
			 May 11 0 11 
			 June 3 0 3 
			 July 6 2 8 
			 August 7 0 7 
			 September 9 0 9 
			 October 9 0 9 
			 November 4 0 4 
			 December 6 0 6 
			 
			 2006
			 January 6 0 6 
		
	
	Note:
	The total number of shootings for the last 18 months is 131.
	
		Paramilitary style attacks (assaults)
		
			  Loyalist Republican Total 
		
		
			 2004
			 August 2 1 3 
			 September 8 1 9 
			 October 4 4 8 
			 November 5 6 11 
			 December 2 3 5 
			 
			 2005
			 January 5 4 9 
			 February 5 5 10 
			 March 5 5 10 
			 April 3 3 6 
			 May 9 5 14 
			 June 13 3 16 
			 July 4 1 5 
			 August 6 0 6 
			 September 2 0 2 
			 October 3 0 3 
			 November 3 0 3 
			 December 3 0 3 
			 
			 2006
			 January 4 2 6 
		
	
	Note:
	The total number of assaults for the last 18 months is 129.
	The total number of attacks for the last 18 months is 260. Loyalists were attributed to 201 attacks (115 shootings and 86 assaults). Republicans were attributed to 59 attacks (16 shootings and 43 assaults).

Police

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been received from (a) the Irish Republic, (b) Great Britain and (c) Northern Ireland in each year since the implementation of the Patten Report; and how many have been successful in each case.

Shaun Woodward: I am advised that the breakdown of applications to PSNI trainee constable competitions, which are held on a central database, is as follows:
	
		
			  Year 
			  One Two Three Four Five (C9 only)(26) 
		
		
			 NI 11,116 8,271 10,223 9,115 5,079 
			 ROI 856 636 902 700 379 
			 GB 377 160 269 631 368 
		
	
	(26) C9 refers to campaign 9 launched in March 2005.
	As at 31 January 2006, a total of 2,123 appointments have been made from these competitions. I am advised that it is not possible to provide information relating to the number of successful applicants from NI, ROI and GB. This information is not held on a central database, and would therefore require a manual trawl which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Public Sector Dwellings

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public sector dwellings are planned to be built in each district council area over the next three years.

David Hanson: The social housing development programme operates on a five-year time frame and is continually updated to take account of changing circumstances, needs and priorities.
	The following table shows the gross programme proposed in each of the next three years. This will be netted down by slippage to the target of 1,500 as each year progresses.
	
		Planned social housing starts
		
			 District council 200607 200708 200809 
		
		
			 Antrim 58 10 25 
			 Ards 48 6 36 
			 Armagh 7 0 6 
			 Ballymena 0 53 20 
			 Ballymoney 0 11 0 
			 Banbridge 0 32 12 
			 Belfast 607 1,030 915 
			 Carrick 15 18 16 
			 Castlereagh 80 17 22 
			 Coleraine 41 0 7 
			 Cookstown 0 0 0 
			 Craigavon 35 3 10 
			 Derry 254 165 88 
			 Down 93 26 37 
			 Dungannon 27 21 32 
			 Fermanagh 48 14 48 
			 Larne 0 11 12 
			 Limavady 0 10 0 
			 Lisburn 173 230 269 
			 Magherafelt 0 10 10 
			 Moyle 10 10 10 
			 Newry and Mourne 81 34 88 
			 Newtownabbey 88 38 18 
			 North Down 133 105 42 
			 Omagh 8 1 8 
			 Strabane 37 2 8 
			 Total 1,843 1,857 1,739

Research Projects

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research projects commissioned by his Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case.

Peter Hain: The following table shows what research projects commissioned by his Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case.
	
		
			 Research project Publication arrangements 
		
		
			 Evaluation of Bail Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in spring 2006. 
			 Evaluation of Offending Behaviour Programmes Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in winter 2006. 
			 Evaluation of Youth Conferencing Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in spring 2006. 
			 Evaluation of Bail Supervision and Support Scheme Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in summer 2006. 
			 Evaluation of PSNI Youth Diversion Scheme Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in summer 2006. 
			 Evaluation of Community Service and Reparation Orders Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in spring 2006. 
			 Self Reported Offending Behaviour Study Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in summer 2006. 
			 Feasibility Study for Establishment of a Domestic Violence One Stop Shop Final report will be published as part of the NIO Research and Statistical Series and released on the NIO website in summer 2006. 
			 Self-Classified Equity Monitoring Pilot Arrangements concerning publication will be considered by the Criminal Justice Board once the pilot is completed. 
			 Report on the conduct of the Northern Ireland local elections held in May 2005. Carried out by the Electoral Commission. Published on 15 December 2005. 
			 Pathways from care to justiceresearch around the reasons why children in the care system are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Yet to be finalised. Report will be published jointly by DHSSPS and NIO early in 2006. 
			 Research on the remanding of children into custody Yet to be finalised. Report will be published in the NIO Research and Statistical series in the second quarter of 2006. 
		
	
	Note:
	The NIO and DHSSPS have jointly commissioned research into children from a Care background who enter the criminal justice system. This is known as the Pathways research. Decisions on the publication arrangements for this report will be taken jointly by NIO and DHSSPS. Final decisions on publication remain within the NIO, but there is a presumption that research commissioned from the Research and Statistics Programme will be published. All statistics and research publications are available on the NIO website. Usually a small number of printed copies of each publication are made available for those without internet access.

Restorative Justice

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is on the involvement of individuals associated with paramilitary organisations in community based restorative justice projects.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart) on 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 1421W.

Sex Offenders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convicted sex offenders have been working in (a) schools and (b) hospitals in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.

Angela Smith: I asked the employing authorities (that is, the Education and Library Boards, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, and voluntary grammar, Irish medium, grant-maintained integrated and independent schools which employ their staff directly) to check their records and inform me whether there is any person currently in employment in any capacity in a grant-aided school who is required to notify their details to the Police Service as a sex offender, or who has a history of sex offending. They have confirmed that there are three persons, none of them teaching staff, with a conviction for a sexual offence who are currently working in schools; none of these persons is on a sex offenders register as all the offences were committed over 15 years ago. In one case the offence was against a minor and involved a girl who was just under age; in the other two cases the offence was against an adult female. In each case the employing authority knew of the conviction through the pre-employment check and took professional advice. The advice was, in each case, that the person was not a risk to children, and so employment was offered. The employing authorities remain satisfied that these persons do not pose a risk to children.
	In Northern Ireland vetting against all sources is done by a single agency, the PSNI Criminal Records Office (CRO). The CRO checks individuals who apply to work with children, either as employees or those engaged as volunteers, against both List 99 and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's list of people who are disqualified from working with children, as well as carrying out a foil criminal background check. Employers are informed of all convictions, including cautions and bind-over orders, no matter when the offence was committed, and non-conviction information which CRO considers to be reliable. The CRO has also confirmed that their pre-employment checks on persons applying to work in schools have not identified any individual on a sex offenders register since the introduction of registration in 1997.
	I have been advised by my hon. Friend the Member for St. Helens, South, that not all posts in hospitals are vetted or would involve working with children or access to children. It is impossible to say definitively whether or not sex offenders have ever been employed in one of our hospitals over the past five years.
	However, since September 2001, when a person is convicted of a sexual offence, he/she is subject to assessment of their individual level of risk under the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Process.
	When that individual is employed in a range of specified occupations e.g. medical, health etc, the agencies (including PSNI) will consider carefully the relevance of the offence in relation to the occupation/employment and decide whether to bring this to the attention of the relevant employer as part of the risk assessment.
	My hon. Friend would not tolerate any decision by a HSS Trust or other employer within the statutory sector to ignore this multi-agency advice and DHSSPS cannot identify any instance where this has happened.

Smoke Alarms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to ensure that as many households as possible in Northern Ireland have working smoke alarms.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to him on this matter on 24 June 2005. In addition, the Northern Ireland Fire  Rescue Service is planning to introduce a Home Fire Safety Check Programme whereby every householder in the Province will be offered the opportunity to have their home assessed in terms of risk of fire and protection against such an occurrence. This will include a check on the suitability, operation and provision of smoke alarms.
	It should be noted that the 2005 Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey reported a 98 per cent. ownership of smoke alarms, an increase of 2 per cent. on the previous year. Of these, 73 per cent. reported that they check their smoke alarms regularly.

Social Exclusion

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to address social exclusion in Northern Ireland; what assistance has been given to address pockets of socio-economic deprivation in deprived areas in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: New Targeting Social Need (TSN) is Government's current high level policy aimed at tackling poverty and social exclusion in Northern Ireland by targeting effort and available resources at people, groups and areas in greatest objective need.
	Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) is a key component of New TSN policy, and involves Departments working together and with partners outside Government to develop strategies aimed at tackling a range of issues impacting on vulnerable groups such as older people and people with disabilities. Future policy and priorities will continue to focus on preventing social exclusion, and it is hoped to make an announcement on these shortly.
	As well as initiatives targeting groups at risk of social exclusion, many government programmes are focused on the issues impacting on areas and communities. Currently the Rural Development Programme is aimed at tackling rural disadvantage throughout the region, and the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, targets the worst areas of urban disadvantage in Northern Ireland.
	Government's programme of equality legislation also contains provisions which contribute to reducing social exclusion of vulnerable groups and plays an important role in supporting policies. In October 2006 legislation will be introduced to prohibit unjustified age discrimination in employment and vocational training. This will give individuals new rights not to be discriminated because of their age and will place new responsibilities on all employers of vocational training.

Threats to Safety

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, (b) members of the Royal Irish Regiment, (c) prison officers and (d) members of the general public in Northern Ireland have been advised of a threat to their safety from Republican sources in each of the last 12 months, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Shaun Woodward: The PSNI does not have a central record containing the information requested. Much of the information relating to threats is held at DCU level and to obtain it would require a manual trawl at disproportionate cost.
	PSNI has provided figures for threats recorded by location relating to police officers only for 2005.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Antrim DCU 2 
			 Ards 13 
			 Armagh 3 
			 Ballymena 2 
			 Ballymoney 1 
			 Banbridge 2 
			 Carrickfergus 6 
			 Castlereagh 3 
			 Coleraine 8 
			 Cooks Town 2 
			 Down 3 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 2 
			 Belfast East 8 
			 Fermanagh 11 
			 Foyle 2 
			 Larne 3 
			 Lisburn 8 
			 Magherafelt 2 
			 Newtownabbey 6 
			 Newry and Mourne 2 
			 Belfast North 1 
			 North Down 9 
			 Omagh 5 
			 Belfast South 6 
			 Strabane 1 
		
	
	The Northern Ireland Prison Service has provided the following statistical information in response to this question:
	
		
			  Republican 
		
		
			 2005  
			 January 8 
			 February  
			 March  
			 April  
			 May  
			 June 1 
			 July 1 
			 August  
			 September 2 
			 October 1 
			 November  
			 December  
			   
			 2006  
			 January  
			 Total 13 
		
	
	Note:
	As staff are not required to register details of their home address, it has not been possible to break down this information by parliamentary constituency.

Treatment-related Complaints

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many treatment-related complaints have been made to the Northern Ireland Ombudsman by people suffering from (a) mental health-related illnesses and (b) general medical health-related illnesses in each Health and Social Services trust area in Northern Ireland in the last five years; and what percentage of those complaints have been upheld by the ombudsman, broken down by health trust area.

Angela Smith: The Northern Ireland Ombudsman has written to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

Youth Tennis (Funding)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what publicly-funded assistance is available for young tennis players based in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland, including the distribution of public funding to sport. SCNI offers a range of publicly funded assistance programmes through which young tennis players based in Northern Ireland can receive support. These include an Athlete Support Programme, an Investing in Sport Programme and a Regional Squads Programme.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Barker Review (Hammersmith and Fulham)

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new residential dwellings will be built in each of the next 20 years in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham following the Government's response to Kate Barker's review of housing supply.

Yvette Cooper: The London plan sets a minimum target for housing provision in Hammersmith and Fulham of 400 additional homes per year for the 20-year period 1997 to 2016. A draft alteration to the London plan proposes to increase this minimum target to 450 additional homes per year, for the 10-year period 200708 to 201617, following the results of a London-wide study of housing capacity. Adoption of the revised target will depend on the outcome of public consultation, now closed, and public examination of the alteration in June this year. Housing targets beyond 2016 will be set through the process of regional and local plan review. The London plan targets will be reviewed by 2011.

Cash Incentive Scheme Grants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many cash incentive scheme grants to enable tenants to buy the home of their choice were made by each local authority in London in 200405; and what the total value of these grants was in each local authority.

Yvette Cooper: The figures requested for 200405 are:
	
		
			  Total number of grants Total expenditure ( thousand) 
		
		
			 Barnet 30 750 
			 Brent 11 275 
			 Camden 19 695 
			 Croydon 27 562 
			 Ealing 13 385 
			 Enfield 21 600 
			 Haringey 24 487 
			 Harrow 23 53 
			 Hillingdon 9 174 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8 150 
			 Lewisham 24 542 
			 Merton 7 159 
			 Newham 1 45 
			 Tower Hamlets 62 1,119 
			 Waltham Forest 8 223 
			 Wandsworth 42 908 
			 Westminster 16 432 
		
	
	Those London boroughs not listed did not make any payments under the Cash Incentive Scheme in 200405.

Certified Home Inspectors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the new home inspectors will be required to have Criminal Records Bureau checks.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Act 2004 requires the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to be satisfied, before approving a certification scheme, that the scheme contains appropriate provision to ensure that home inspectors are fit and proper persons. The intention is that the procedure for deciding whether a person is fit and proper for this purpose will involve a check of the Criminal Records Bureau.

Civil Servants (Overseas Visits)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what costs were incurred by his Department as a result of sending civil servants on overseas visits in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created following the machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The ODPM's financial system records the combined costs on overseas visits for both Ministers and civil servants. A breakdown of costs for civil servants alone could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All travel by civil servants and Ministers is conducted in accordance with requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code and Travel.

Council Tax

Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 967W, to question 41876, how many dwellings are occupied only by students in exemption class N as shown on the 21 October 2005 CTBI (supplementary) form for England and Wales.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not yet available. CTBI (supplementary) forms for 21 October 2005 for some authorities have not yet been received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Information from returned forms will be made available on the ODPM website in due course.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Valuation Tribunal Service has spent on the council tax revaluation including related appeals to date in England.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member on 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 585W.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2005, Official Report, column 2063W, on council tax, if he will break down the number of properties with (a) dwelling house codes and (b) value significant codes, by billing authority.

Phil Woolas: The information requested has been made available in the Library of the House.

Council Tax

Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Class N exemptions were recorded in total on the CTB1 form returned on 21 October 2005 by local authorities in England and Wales.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not yet available. A breakdown of Class exemptions is collected on the CTB1 (Supplementary) form, some of which have still to be received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Information from returned forms will be made available on the ODPM website in due course.

Coventry City Council

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) revenue and (b) capital funding his Department has allocated to Coventry City Council in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 30 January 2006
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was established following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The table sets out payments made by ODPM to Coventry City Council since 200203. For earlier year, the table shows the amount paid by ODPM's predecessor Departments from the programmes which are now administered by ODPM. Information prior to 19992000 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Funding ( million)
		
			  (a) Revenue (b) Capital 
		
		
			 19992000 214.900 3.541 
			 200001 221.331 4.512 
			 200102 229.369 2.477 
			 200203 231.435 5.299 
			 200304 276.185 7.387 
			 200405 292.262 9.309 
			 Total 1,465.482 32.525

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and previous Departments with his Department's responsibilities, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department in each year since May 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. The cost of external consultancies is as follows and relates to ODPM C and its Agencies. A breakdown for non-departmental public bodies, independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department could be obtained only at disproportionate cost:
	
		
		
			  200203 200304 200405 200506(27) 
		
		
			 ODPM Central 76,000,000 47,000,000 79,831,087 38,248,314 
			 Planning Inspectorate 3,222,478 2,892,751 2,824,751 2,102,703 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 11,016 68,861 79,635 84,379 
			 Fire Service College 43,306 152,279 320,484 258,887 
		
	
	(27) To date.

Falling Trees

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information he collects from local authorities on the number of people (a) killed and (b) injured as a result of falling trees and branches.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect information from local authorities on the number of people killed or injured as a result of falling trees and branches, and such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Services

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the performance of combined emergency services control rooms of proposed mergers of fire services.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not expect there to be any negative impact on the performance of the two pilot tri-service control centres as a result of the merger of fire and rescue service control rooms into regional controls. There are no plans to regionalise the fire and rescue service.
	The tri-service pilots are not combined emergency service control rooms, but three separate controls located in the same building. This is because the different business needs of the three services are a key implementation barrier to delivering fully integrated tri-service centres. In terms of performance, the fire and rescue service accounts for fewer than 10 per cent. of calls in the tri-service centres, so combined centres will still be able to function much as they do now as bi-service controls without fire. The valuable lessons that have been learnt from the pilots, especially in terms of closer working between emergency services, can still be built on after the introduction of regional fire control centres.

First-time Buyers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of first-time buyers entering the housing market in (a) England and (b) the UK in each year since 1996.

Yvette Cooper: The Council of Mortgage Lenders produce estimates of the number of mortgages for house purchase made by first-time buyers in the UK. Estimates are not available for England or for the number of first-time buyers purchasing without a mortgage.
	Figures available from 1991 tabled as follows:
	
		Number of mortgages for house purchase to first-time buyers:UK 19912004
		
			  Number (thousand) 
		
		
			 1991 332 
			 1992 306 
			 1993 524 
			 1994 528 
			 1995 424 
			 1996 465 
			 1997 503 
			 1998 527 
			 1999 593 
			 2000 499 
			 2001 568 
			 2002 532 
			 2003 367 
			 2004 358 
		
	
	Source:
	Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML)

Hillingdon Council

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the additional costs falling upon Hillingdon council from Heathrow airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not routinely assess the costs falling on Hillingdon council from Heathrow airport. To make such an assessment on a one-off basis would require extensive research which would incur disproportionate cost. The economic effects arising from Heathrow were considered as part of the Inquiry into the Terminal 5 proposal, and findings are set out in Topic Report 2, which supplements the main Inspector's Report, but the findings are not reported in a way that is specific to Hillingdon.

Home Information Packs

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether those who put together home information packs will be required to obtain negligence or indemnity insurance; and what arrangements have been put in place to deal with the production of packs for more complicated properties in rural areas.

Yvette Cooper: Home information packs will bring together at the start of the home buying and selling process documents and information that are already an established part of the existing system but which currently become available later in the sale. There will be no legal requirement for persons performing the role of collecting documents together to compile packs to have negligence or indemnity insurance. This will be a matter for consideration by estate agents and others who may commission packs on behalf of sellers. The only new component in home information packs will be the home condition report. Only home inspectors who are members of an approved certification scheme will be able to provide home condition reports. Before approving a certification scheme the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister must be satisfied that the scheme contains appropriate provision for ensuring that its members have suitable indemnity insurance.

Homebuy Schemes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 256W, on Homebuy schemes, whether the Government are providing subsidy for Open Market Homebuy.

Yvette Cooper: Yes. The Government are providing subsidy via the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme in 200608 for equity loans provided by registered social landlords under Open Market HomeBuy. A decision on the overall programme is expected in March 2006 when the amount of subsidy for Open Market HomeBuy will be confirmed.
	From October 2006 Government funding will be enhanced by the private financing of equity loans from three lenders. This will enable us to help an additional 20,000 households into home ownership by 2010, bringing the total assisted to over 100,000.

Housing

Michael Gove: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many families in each London local authority area were living in overcrowded conditions in (a) 1997, (b) 2000 and (c) 2005.

Yvette Cooper: There are two measures of overcrowdingthe statutory definition and the bedroom standard. Information on compliance with the statutory standard is not collected systematically and estimates at local authority level are not available.
	Estimates based on the bedroom standard are availablebut generally not at local authority level. However, some local authority estimates were made for 2002 and may be referenced in the following report:
	Overcrowding in England, the Sub-Regional picture: Statistics
	This can be accessed at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index. asp?id=1152920
	Then scroll down and click on:
	'Table 1: Overcrowding by sub-regional area'.
	Results at a sub-regional level are not available for any other period.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government have made of the number of first-time buyers completing a house purchase in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households will benefit from (a) Social Homebuy and (b) New Build Homebuy in each year of the proposed schemes, in (i) England and (ii) each government office region.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the number of households who will benefit from the Social and New Build HomeBuy schemes from April 2006 is not yet available.
	Numbers will depend on the participation of social landlords and the successful bids funded through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme in 200608 products. The bids are currently being evaluated and decisions will be announced early this year.
	Four registered social landlords are currently piloting Social HomeBuy ahead of the main two year pilot programme. The early pilots involve 400 potential sales at locations across the Government Office regions, except the West Midlands.

Housing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria he applies in considering whether to approve a local authority's application to extend its mandatory licensing scheme to smaller houses in multiple occupation.

Yvette Cooper: In considering schemes made by local housing authorities in England to extend the scope of licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) in their area, or part of their area, the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister must be satisfied that the local housing authority:
	has identified the management problems arising from the types of HMOs in the area for which it intends to make the scheme;
	has considered whether there are other courses of action available to it that might provide an effective means of dealing with the issues which the scheme is intended to address and whether the scheme will significantly help them in dealing with those issues;
	is satisfied that the scheme would be consistent with its overall housing strategy and will be co-ordinated with its approach to dealing with homelessness, empty properties and anti social behaviour in the private rented sector;
	has consulted, having regard to the above criteria, on the proposed additional licensing scheme with those persons who are likely to be affected by it, including landlords, tenants and local resident associations, and that it has properly considered representations it has received.
	These criteria are provided in sections 56 and 57 of the Housing Act 2004.

Housing

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to enable first-time home buyers in West Lancashire to buy a home locally;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to provide affordable housing in West Lancashire constituency.

Yvette Cooper: West Lancashire has recently carried out a housing needs survey, and their emerging new local plan should set out policies for the provision of affordable housing. The Housing Corporation is also considering bids from registered social landlords to fund affordable housing across the north west, which will include first-time buyers.

Housing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to make an announcement on the number of affordable homes expected to be built or procured through the National Affordable Housing Programme in Oxford in 200608.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation is currently assessing bids for affordable housing schemes planned to start in 200608. A decision on the overall programme, and its regional components is expected to be announced in March 2006 and announcements on individual allocations will be made subsequent to that.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what plans the Government have to introduce a national register of social housing; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the National Register of Social Housing will include properties which are (a) in shared ownership and (b) have been sold under the right-to-buy and are no longer owned by the public sector;
	(3)  if he will list the types of property attribute data and field definitions that are part of the National Register of Social Housing.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been working with the Housing Corporation, and representatives of local authorities and housing associations to establish a national record of each unit of social housing in England; the National Register of Social Housing (NROSH).
	The working principle is that data will be uploaded direct from the landlord's administrative systems and that updating will be automated. The register will eventually, possibly by April 2007, replace a substantial amount of the form filling currently required by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Housing Corporation, and will thus reduce the burden of data provision on local authorities and housing associations. It will provide data which is more accurate and timely and which is very flexible in terms of the geographical areas which can be analysed.
	Piloting which has been carried out in partnership with over 40 local authorities and housing associations during 2005 is drawing to a close and national roll out of the data collection software began in December 2005.
	The register will include properties in shared ownership with social landlords. Once a property has been recorded in the register a record of it will be retained after it is sold into the private sector whether through right to buy or otherwise.
	The register contains a range of fields the full descriptions of which can be found on the ODPM website along with other background information at: www.odpm.gov.uk/nationalregisterofsocialhousing. The fields cover the following types of information:
	Reference or data management, such as property address or data provider identification.
	Physical attributes of the dwelling such as size, type and age.
	Housing management information such as rent, tenure and whether or not the property is occupied.
	The Decent Homes Standard and its components.
	Disabled access standards.

Housing

Paul Truswell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses in (a) England and (b) Leeds (i) have been brought up to decent homes standards and (ii) remain to be brought up to such standards.

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows.
	(a) The number of local authority owned non-decent homes in England has decreased from 1,869,000 in 1996 to 972,000 in 2003 (source: English House Condition Survey).
	(b) Leeds has reported that their number of local authority non-decent homes has decreased from 33,728 in 2002 to 31,185 in 2005 (source: Business Plan Annual Monitoring returns).

Kettering General Hospital

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department's growth areas directorate has had with the Department of Health about the expansion of Kettering General Hospital to accompany local housebuilding growth up to 2021.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that health funding takes account of planned housing growth. The discussions have been at a strategic level and have not touched upon the specific plans for Kettering General Hospital.
	Significant extra resources are being provided for health services in the growth areas. Already an extra 20 million of revenue funding per annum has been provided for primary care trusts in the growth areas (200405 and 200506) and an extra 20 million of capital resources allocated to strategic health authorities in the growth areas (200506).
	Kettering General Hospital National Health Service (NHS) Trust has benefited from extra resources. In May 2005 the trust was granted some 7.4 million (5 million from the primary care trust and 2.4 million in capital from the strategic health authority) to tackle the growth in demand for services. This has enabled the trust to employ 164 extra nurses and 32 extra doctors. The trust has invested 2 million in a 40-bed ward and five-bed Accident and Emergency observation ward. The trust is building a 16.5 million treatment centre and an ambulatory care centre is currently in development.
	Future health funding will also take into account planned housing growth. The Department of Health's announcement on primary care trust revenue funding on 9 February 2005 included a growth area adjustment. Amongst other factors, this will lead to the primary care trusts in the growth areas receiving funding increases of 860 million in 200607 and 970 million in 200708 (increases over the two years of 20.8 per cent. compared to a national average of 19.5 per cent.). Government is also giving priority to growth areas for future LIFT (local improvement finance trust) schemes. This private finance initiative programme will create long-term public/private partnerships to secure continued investment in health care in local areas.

Living Spaces Grant

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reinstate the living spaces grant.

Yvette Cooper: Living Spaces was set up as an innovative approach to helping communities make tangible and lasting changes to their local environment. Living Spaces is a three-year programme with funding due to end in 200506. Due to the large demand from community groups for support from Living Spaces, funding for the programme has been exhausted and, therefore, there are currently no plans to re-open the scheme for fresh applications or extend the scheme.
	The lessons learnt from the success of Living Spaces will help to inform future policies and programmes that seek to involve local people in improving the quality of their local communities. For example, a priority of the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme will be to increase the capacity of communities to plan, develop and run projects that improve their local environments.

Local Government Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Government Department is responsible for Government policy on the potential introduction of parish councils in London.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister would be responsible for the removal of the barrier in current legislation to the creation of parish councils in London.

Local Government Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the (a) set-up costs and (b) running costs of parish councils in London.

Phil Woolas: None. The costs of setting up and running parish councils in London will be a matter for the London boroughs and any new parish councils established.

Lyons Inquiry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 585W, on the Lyons Inquiry, from which public sector organisations the Lyons Inquiry has received submissions.

Phil Woolas: Sir Michael Lyons published an interim report and consultation paper on 15 December. This report lists organisations who have responded to the inquiry. Links to representations are on the inquiry's website at: www.lyonsinquiry.org.

Migrants (Accommodation)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what provision has been made in housing targets for homes for migrants from outside the United Kingdom over the next 20 years.

Yvette Cooper: There is no specific provision for international migrants. Assessments of future housing requirements are informed by demographic projections that take account of international migration as one of several factors influencing the growth in numbers of households.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the planning applications which have been (a) refused and (b) granted on appeal for mobile phone masts in West Lancashire.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. You may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new mobile telephone masts have been erected under permitted development rights in each year since 1997 in each London borough; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested on the numbers of mobile phone masts erected under permitted development rights is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. You may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.

New Deal for Communities

Louise Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has for future funding for the Kensington new deal for communities project.

Phil Woolas: Kensington Regeneration is a 10-year new deal for communities (NDC) programme to deliver transformational change to residents. The Government remain committed to the long-term investment in the NDC programme and the Kensington NDC area will benefit from 61,908,490 between 200001 and 201011. The NDC has already made good progress across the key thematic areas and I am sure this work will be sustained in the future.

Pensions (Local Authority)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of council tax was allocated to pay local authority employee pensions in each local authority in 200506.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to say how much of council tax income can be attributed to pay for local authority employee pensions. This is because it is not possible to say whether any item of revenue expenditure is funded from council tax or from the Government grants and business rates that also finance revenue expenditure.
	Pension costs for local authorities in England in 200405 are estimated at 5.3 billion. This is 6.6 per cent. of total revenue expenditure by local authorities in England. 1 2
	These proportions are not available for every local authority individually as the SAR is a sample survey of authorities.
	1 Note: Both figures are presented on a non-Financial Reporting Standard 17 (FRS17) basis.
	2 Source: 200405 Revenue Out-turn (RO) forms, 200405 Subjective Analysis Returns (SAR) submitted by local authorities to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Planning (Helicopters)

Liam Fox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what restrictions can be placed under planning regulations on the use of helicopter landing pads within or adjacent to (a) residential areas and (b) defined bridleways.

Yvette Cooper: It is for local planning authorities to impose whatever planning conditions they consider appropriate to protect residential areas and defined bridleways when granting planning permission for helicopter landing pads.

Private Gardens (Hammersmith and Fulham)

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) total area of privately owned gardens in Hammersmith and Fulham that has been developed in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Land use change statistics record the amounts of residential land developed but do not record whether it was privately owned or how much of the land was occupied by any garden.

Regional Reorganisation

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 2068W, on regional reorganisation, what guidance and support his Department provides to Government departments on inter-regional communication on policy matters.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All sponsor departments of Government Offices, and Government Offices themselves, work closely to ensure effective inter-regional communications on policy matters. The new Government Office websites also enable effective communications, within and across regions, on a range of policy issues.

Renewable Energy

Michael Wills: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what national target he has set to encourage renewable energy projects to be included as part of all new (a) domestic, (b) public, (c) commercial and (d) industrial developments.

Yvette Cooper: There are no separate targets for particular types of new developments. The Government have an overall target of 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity supply should come from sources of renewable energy by 2010, with an aspiration to double that by 2020. Planning Policy Statement 22 encourages the appropriate development of renewable energy schemes in England. The prospective amendment to the energy efficiency provisions in the Building Regulations for England and Wales includes enhanced performance standards that will also encourage developers to consider the benefits of renewable systems.

Rents

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average monthly rent for a (a) one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed (i) social landlord and (ii) local authority property was in (A) each Essex borough, (B) London and (C) each London borough in (1) 1990, (2) 1992, (3) 1994, (4) 1998 and (5) each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Average weekly rent by local authority district and region are published for the local authority sector for 1996 to 2005 and the registered social landlord sector for 1997 to 2005 on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website in tables 702 and 704 respectively for those properties for which such a breakdown is available. The links for these tables are given as follows:
	Table 702: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=l156266
	Table 704: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=l156268
	Average weekly rent in Essex in 2005 was 71.94 for a registered social landlord property and 58.66 for a council property. The respective rents in London were 74.67 and 69.37 per week.

Repossessions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many repossessions were made in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth on 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1695W.

Right to Buy

Iain Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses have been sold in Hartlepool under the Right To Buy scheme in each year since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: The requested information can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1156373. There have been no Right to Buy sales in Hartlepool since 200405 following the large scale voluntary transfer of all local authority stock to a registered social landlord.

Right to Buy

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of council housing stock in each London borough has been sold under the right- to-buy scheme since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The proportion of council housing stock in each London borough that has been sold under the Right to Buy scheme since its introduction in 1980 can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1156373 .

Survey of English Housing

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of (a) African, (b) Afro-Caribbean, (c) Bangladeshi, (d) Chinese, (e) Indian, (f) Pakistani, (g) Somali, (h) white, (i) other black groups and (j) mixed and other ethnic groups households are estimated by the Survey of English Housing 200405 to be living in overcrowded housing conditions.

Yvette Cooper: There are two measures of overcrowdingthe statutory definition and the bedroom standard. Information on compliance with the statutory standard is not collected systematically and reliable estimates for separate ethnic groups are not available.
	Estimates of overcrowding by ethnic group and based on the bedroom standard can be derived from the Survey of English Housing. In order to ensure reliable estimates of overcrowding by ethnic group it has been necessary to combine data from the seven-year period of 1998 to 2005. Over this period it is estimated that (a) 15 per cent. of black African households were overcrowded; (b) 7 per cent. of black Caribbean households; (c) 29 per cent. of Bangladeshi households; (d) 8 per cent. of Indian households; (f) 21 per cent. of Pakistani households; (g) 2 per cent. white households; and (h) 10 per cent. of households from other ethnic minorities and mixed ethnic groups. Separate figures for Chinese and Somali households are not available.
	Estimates for individual years cannot be provided because sample sizes for individual ethnic groups are too small.

Thames Gateway

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the merits of designating Thames Gateway as a national park.

Yvette Cooper: National park designations apply to extensive areas of countryside and contains England's most beautiful, spectacular and dramatic landscapes. They include stronger planning restrictions and a series of special protection arrangements appropriate to areas of beautiful countryside. We do not believe those levels of planning restrictions would be appropriate in the Thames Gateway. However the Government have asked the Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment (CABE) to look at ideas for creating a world class landscape including urban development and green spaces along the Thames Gateway.

Warehouses (Planning Regulations)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on what plans the Government have to amend planning regulations for warehouses near transport hubs.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Guidance note (PPG) 13 Transport advises that, in preparing plans and determining planning applications, local planning authorities should, where possible, locate developments generating substantial freight movements such as distribution and warehousing away from congested central areas and residential areas and ensure adequate access to trunk roads. It goes on to say planning authorities should promote opportunities for freight generating development to be served by rail or waterways. The Government have no plans to amend this policy guidance nor to make any regulations.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what occasions he has referred matters to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Paul Goggins: Since becoming Home Secretary in December 2004, I have referred three matters to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
	1. In March 2005, I asked the Council to review the classification of cannabis products that are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The Council's report was published on 19 January 2006.
	2. In March 2005 the then Minister responsible for drugs, Caroline Flint asked the ACMD on my behalf to consider evidence relating to khat, including two pieces of research commissioned by the Home Office and carried out by Turning Point and NACRO respectively. The Council's report was also published on 19 January.
	3. In January 2006 I asked the ACMD to review the classification of the so called 'date rape drugs', including GHB and Rohypnol. A time frame for reporting on these drugs is in the process of being agreed with the ACMD.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in each London borough in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: A table giving a breakdown by the criminal justice system area and local government authority area in which prohibitions are imposed within antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) is available on the crime reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk. This table gives data by year since ASBOs were introduced up to 30 June 2005 (latest available).

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methodology his Department uses to measure the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders.

Hazel Blears: In 2002 we published a research paper entitled A review of antisocial behaviour orders (commonly referred to as the Campbell review) which followed a commitment made during the passage through Parliament of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. ASBOs have now reached sufficient numbers to necessitate further research.
	The Home Office is conducting an evaluation of ASBOs, the findings of which will be available in spring 2006 and will provide information on the effectiveness of ASBOs in tackling antisocial behaviour within our neighbourhoods and communities. In addition, the Home Affairs Select Committee, in their report on antisocial behaviour published last year, recommended that research was necessary to establish the reasons for any inappropriate issuing of ASBOs or the issuing of ASBOs with inappropriate conditions. We are currently considering the best way to meet this recommendation. The Youth Justice Board has also commissioned research and we are awaiting the findings.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against antisocial behaviour orders there have been in the last 12 months; and what the outcome was in each case.

Hazel Blears: From 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005 (latest available) the Home Office has been notified of 37 cases, in which an antisocial behaviour order had been issued, going to appeal. As a result, 32 orders were varied, four discharged and one appeal was dismissed.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services are available for victims of antisocial behaviour where an order is subsequently made in (a) the community and (b) court.

Hazel Blears: The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 introduced special measures for witnesses in proceedings for antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs). These measures were introduced to address concerns about the protection of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. The measures include screening witnesses from the defendants, giving evidence through video link or in private, and the use of video recorded evidence. This makes it easier for witnesses to give evidence in the Crown and magistrates court during an ASBO hearing. Antisocial behaviour response courts have been established in magistrates courts sitting in their civil capacity to ensure that witness issues are addressed and the respect action plan announced plans to establish similar arrangements for county courts. There are also plans to introduce the same measures for ASBO victims in civil hearings as for victims in criminal cases. The Home Office has issued a good practice guide to practitioners on how best to support a witness.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the conditions attached to antisocial behaviour orders issued during 2004.

Hazel Blears: We are notified by the courts of the numbers of ASBOs issued and these data are published quarterly. However information is not collected centrally on the conditions attached to antisocial behaviour orders. The Home Office is conducting an evaluation of ASBOs, the findings of which will be available in spring 2006 and will provide information on the effectiveness of ASBOs in tackling antisocial behaviour within our neighbourhoods and communities.

Asylum Applicants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applicants have been returned to the UK from other EU countries under the terms of the Dublin Regulations since their introduction.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 31 January 2006
	A total of approximately 300 asylum seekers have been returned to the UK from other EU countries under the provisions of the Dublin II Regulations since its introduction on the 1 September 2003.
	Analyses of these totals are based on internal management information and as such are not of sufficient quality to be published as national statistics.

Cannabis

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement on the regulation of cannabis of 19 January 2006, Official Report, columns 9824, what evidence he relied upon in his statement that cannabis use among 16 to 24-year-olds has fallen by four per cent. since 1998; and what sample (a) size and (b) range was used in making the calculation.

Paul Goggins: The figures used in the Home Secretary's statement come from the British Crime Survey (BCS) which, as stated, shows that use of cannabis in the past year was reported by 28 per cent. of 16 to 24-year-olds in 1998 and 24 per cent. of the same age group in 200405, a decrease of four percentage points.
	The BCS is a large nationally representative survey of adults living in private households in England and Wales. It has included a comparable set of self completion questions on drug use since 1996. In 1998, 1,295 16 to 24-year-olds answered the drugs questions, while in 200405, 6,287 16 to 24-year-olds did so. More details of the survey methods and findings are available in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin No. 16/05 Drug Misuse Declared: Findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey which is available on the Home Office website and in the Library of the House.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended that cannabis be reclassified to a Class C drug prior to 1999.

Paul Goggins: In the period prior to 1999, the Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) did not put any firm recommendations to the Secretary of State for the Home Department that cannabis be reclassified to a class C drug. However, in December 1978 the ACMD produced a report on a review of the classification of controlled drugs and of penalties under schedule two and four of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This covered a number of recommendations on classifications and penalties, including one that cannabis and cannabis resin should be transferred to class C.
	However, in the then chair's covering letter to the Home Secretary he points out that there was a division of opinion within the council and no endorsement, or otherwise, of the recommendation was offered. In November 1981 the ACMD's Report of the Expert Group on the effects of Cannabis Use maintained that the recommendations of the 1978 Report, including that on cannabis classification, remained valid. But again, the chair's covering letter to the Secretary of State did not offer a clear recommendation on cannabis classification.

Cash-in-transit Crime

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2006, Official Report, column 1422W, on cash-in-transit crime what criteria are used when assessing the (a) harm and (b) the impact that the Serious Organised Crime Agency can make by preventing them.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office assesses the overall harm caused by different types of crime as described in the White Paper One Step AheadA 21st Century Strategy to Defeat Organised Crime. In assessing the impact of its own activity, SOCA will apply a range of qualitative and quantitative criteria, drawing on the Home Office work on harm and its own developing understanding of the threat from different forms of organised crime. It will consider the capacity, capability and intent of criminals and their enterprises and seek to contribute to harm reduction through disrupting their activities, reducing profit incentives, and increasing the risks they take.

Cautions and Convictions (Notification)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which (a) professional bodies and (b) Government Departments police are required to notify of the (i) convictions and (ii) cautions of members of their relevant professions;
	(2)  how many (a) cautions and (b) convictions were reported by the police to his Department, in accordance with Annex A, Schedule 2 of Home Office Circular 45/86, in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: In accordance with paragraphs 11 and 12 of Home Office Circular 45/86 the police are requested to notify details of convictions and cautions as set out in Schedule 2 of the annex to the circular. A copy of Schedule 2 has been placed in the Library.
	These arrangements are currently under review.
	With regard to the number of convictions and cautions reported by the police HOC45/86 does not require this information to be reported to the Home Office.

Child Abuse

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the police have to place a person found guilty of a sexual offence against a child committed prior to the commencement of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 on the register of sexual offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The notification requirements of Part two of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (which are known as the sex offenders register) automatically apply to all offenders who have received a conviction, caution or finding for a relevant sexual offence from 1 September 1997. The Act also includes a partially retrospective operation so that for convictions for relevant offences received before 1 September 1997 an offender will become subject to the notification requirements if he was awaiting sentence or serving his sentence on that date. The 2003 Act also introduced sexual offences prevention orders (SOPOs) which are made by a court in respect of any offender who poses a risk of serious sexual harm and who has received a conviction or caution for a sexual or violent offence (listed in Schedule three or five to the Act). SOPOs are used to impose prohibitions on an offender but also make him subject to the notification requirements for the duration of the order. SOPOs can be made regardless of when the conviction or caution for the qualifying offence was received. It is the case that Schedule three does not include those offences which pre-date the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and this means that if an individual's most recent sexual offence was committed 50 years ago and he has not since committed a violent offence, then it would not be possible to make him subject to a SOPO and therefore subject to the notification requirements. However, if such an individual posed a risk of harm to children, then it would still be possible for a court to make a risk of sexual harm order (RSHO) and if an offender breaches the prohibitions in a RSHO, then he automatically becomes subject to the notification requirements for the duration of the order.

Child Rescue Alert Scheme

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department plans to extend across England the Child Rescue Alert text messaging scheme operated by Sussex Police.

Hazel Blears: Child Rescue Alert has currently been adopted by four police forces (Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Leicester) and it is hoped that a basic system will be in place for nationwide cover by the end of March this year. The scheme works by interrupting television and radio programmes with immediate news flashes that a youngster has been snatched and is at risk of serious harm or death. There are no plans to use text messaging as part of the alert.

Child Rescue Alert Scheme

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of mobile location data tracking systems in enabling parents to locate their children; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Police Service is already actively using mobile location-based technologies in the investigation of some missing persons cases. Mobile data tracking can identify the geographical area in which a phone is located. This is used by the police under a regulation of Investigatory Powers Act authority in specified cases that are legally appropriate. I am not aware of how many times, if at all, the private sector scheme has been used by parents.

Citizens' Arrests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens' arrests were made in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available centrally.

Circuses (Alcohol-related Incidents)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-related incidents connected to circuses have been recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: This information is not available centrally from the recorded crime database. The British Crime Survey routinely provides information on whether the victims of violent incidents thought that one or more of the offenders were under the influence of drink.
	The BCS also routinely provides information on the location of crime-related incidents. Information on the location of violent incidents, by whether the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol has also been provided for 200405 BCS data.
	The number or proportion of other crime related incidents where the offender was thought be under the influence of alcohol has not been estimated. The BCS does not collect information on incidents that have occurred in or are connected to circuses.
	The available information since 1999 is included in the tables.
	
		Proportion and numbers of violent incidents where offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol, BCS -- Percentage and number (Thousand)
		
			 Under the influence of alcohol 1999 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Proportion of all BCS violence 40 47 44 50 48 
			 Number of offences (Thousand) 1,315 1,251 1,190 1,302 1,112 
		
	
	
		Location of violent incidents -- Percentage
		
			  1999 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Around the home 24 27 25 26 23 
			 Around work 17 8 8 9 7 
			 Street 24 24 29 28 30 
			 Pub or club 20 21 20 21 22 
			 Transport 3 4 3 4 3 
			 Other location 12 15 14 12 15 
		
	
	
		Location of violent incidents by whether the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol, all BCS violence,BCS 2004/05 -- Percentage
		
			  Under the influence of alcohol: 
			  Yes No Not known 
		
		
			 Around the home 45 50 4 
			 Around work 46 52 2 
			 Street 35 47 18 
			 Pub or club 82 12 6 
			 Other location 35 58 6

Civil Servants

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of each civil service grade in his Department is located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the average salary is for each grade; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: The number of civil service staff that are located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK and the average salary for each grade is shown in the following table.
	For the SCS, the progression target rates for their grades are as follows:
	
		HO senior civil service (SCS) (non-Prison Service) as at 30 November 2005
		
			   
		
		
			 PB1 (G5) 76,156 
			 PB1 (G3) 101,905 
			 PB3 (G2) 132,586 
		
	
	
		
			 Region Headcount Percentage of SCS in region 
		
		
			 Croydon 41 16.14 
			 East 1 0.39 
			 Heathrow 3 1.18 
			 Liverpool 1 0.39 
			 Location blocked or new 3 1.18 
			 London 197 77.56 
			 Midlands 1 0.39 
			 North East 1 0.39 
			 North West 1 0.39 
			 Scotland 1 0.39 
			 South East 3 1.18 
			 Wales 1 0.39 
			 Total 254  
		
	
	Note:
	Locations blocked or new, are either in the process of being set up, or unrecorded for security reasons.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 4 October 2005 from the right. hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, on behalf of Nazmul Islam Chowdhury (Home Office reference C450910).

Tony McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 30 January 2006.

Correspondence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green dated 12 October 2005, regarding a constituent, Ms Dorothy Kyomuhendo (Home Office reference T1059542).

Tony McNulty: I wrote to the hon. Member on 27 January.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, will receive a reply to her letter of 8 December 2005 on behalf of Edlira Meta (Home Office reference M1027953/2), acknowledgement reference M30428/5), sister of Blerina Berisha.

Tony McNulty: I wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 3 February 2006.

Corruption

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been repatriated as a result of corruption investigations in the UK in each of the last two years; and to which countries.

Paul Goggins: No money has been repatriated. It would not be appropriate to comment on any current investigations in view of the risk of prejudicing the outcome.

Counter-terrorism Funding

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written statement of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 57WS, on counter terrorism funding, 
	(1)  what proportion of the Consolidated Grant for Counter-Terrorism would previously have been included in the General Grant;
	(2)  pursuant to the written statement of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 57WS, on counter terrorism funding, how much of the 446 million police counter-terrorism expenditure will come from (a) the General Police Grant, (b) other expenditure falling within his Department's departmental expenditure limits and (c) annually managed expenditure;
	(3)  how much was spent on counter-terrorism by (a) the Metropolitan Police Service and (b) local and regional police forces between 1997 and (i) when funding was drawn together into a consolidated grant for counter terrorism, (ii) 5 December 2005 and (iii) 25 January 2006.

Charles Clarke: We are consolidating existing and new funding streams into a new fund. The overall provision will be: The whole provision is made from within the Department's Delegated Expenditure Limit (DEL). Information on the level of counter terrorism spending by the Metropolitan Police Service and local and regional policing is not held centrally.
	
		 million
		
			  200607 200708 Total 
		
		
			 Existing MPS Specific Grant 61 61 122 
			 New MPS Specific Grant 30 45 75 
			 Existing Regional Specific CT Grant 35 35 70 
			 New Regional Specific CT Grant 33 65 98 
			 Existing Specific CT Capital Grant 8 8 16 
			 New Specific CT Capital Grant 30 35 65 
			 Subtotal 197 249 446 
			 
			 Former General Grant (DSP) 213 213 426 
			 Met Police Special Payment (Former  General Grant) 50 50 100 
			 Subtotal 263 263 526 
			 
			 Total 460 512 972

Crack Cocaine

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many closure notices were placed on crack houses by each police force in England and Wales in 2005.

Paul Goggins: The data is not available in the form requested.

Crime Statistics

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests, (b) convictions and (c) cautions there were in the Avon and Somerset police authority area in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table.
	
		Number of persons(28) arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) and offenders(28) cautioned and found guilty at all courts for all offences, Avon and Somerset, 19972004
		
			  Arrests Cautioned Found guilty 
		
		
			 1997 (29) 3,773 41,799 
			 1998 (29) 4,534 41,031 
			 1999 (29) 5,197 36,919 
			 2000 21,308 4,764 37,756 
			 2001 27,269 4,351 36,139 
			 2002 25,421 4,286 38,817 
			 2003 24,773 4,615 43,835 
			 2004 25,677 5,075 43,982 
		
	
	(28) Data on persons arrested, offenders cautioned and found guilty are provided on the principal offence basis.
	(29) Arrests data prior to 2000 are not available.

Custody Plus

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his timetable is for the introduction of Custody Plus sentences.

Fiona Mactaggart: We intend to introduce Custody Plus in the autumn of 2006.

Dangerous Dogs Act

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since it was passed.

Hazel Blears: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of how many people have been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for England and Wales, from 1992 to 2004, is shown in the following table. Court statistics for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	
		Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England and Wales, 1992 to 2004(30)
		
			 Offence description Statute 1992(31) 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a) 31 4 1 1 5 1 6 
			 Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b) 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Giving or offering to give a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d) 187 2 24 20 12 12 7 
			 Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e) 27 0 8 3 2 3 0 
			 Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3) 209 1 57 35 18 15 23 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) 389 329 196 189 162 175 248 
			 Dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) 310 560 286 259 221 259 434 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) 30 20 8 18 4 10 12 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) 20 52 25 22 18 22 28 
			 Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified Badgers (further protection) Act 1991 Sec. 1. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 4(8). Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Sec.13 12 20 11 7 6 7 6 
			 Total  1,222 988 617 554 449 504 764 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence description Statute 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a) 1 2 1 6 4 15 
			 Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b) 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Giving or offering to give a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d) 11 9 4 3 2 2 
			 Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e) 2 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3) 12 5 4 6 1 5 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) 254 266 278 284 329 290 
			 Dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) 449 458 490 537 560 597 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) 9 24 20 18 20 11 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) 34 48 50 38 52 48 
			 Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified Badgers (further protection) Act 1991 Sec. 1. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 4(8). Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Sec.13 30 23 39 29 20 22 
			 Total  802 836 886 922 988 990 
		
	
	(30) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(31) Offence codes for Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 were introduced to the court proceeding database from 1 January 1992.

Death Statistics

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were killed by police personnel in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005.

Hazel Blears: Police forces are required to report deaths which occur in police custody or during police contact to the Independent Police Complains Commission (IPCC). The IPCC is responsible for publication of statistics relating to deaths in those circumstances. Any inquiries should be made to the Chair of the Commission.

Departmental Publications

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the publication Compact on the Department's relationship with the voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Compact on Relations between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector sets out the rules for engagement between government bodies and the sector. The costs of publishing the Compact in October 1998 with subsequent reprints were 28,200. We have published Codes of Good Practice that underpin the Compact. The costs for these and subsequent reprints were 95,300. Summaries of the Compact and Codes have also been published and the costs for these and reprints were 18,700.

Departmental Targets

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the time scales are for each aspect of performance against 2004 public service agreement target No. 4.

Charles Clarke: Details of the target levels and time scales are set out in the public service agreements (PSA) technical notes. For the element on offenders entering treatment, these details were added in a revision published in July 2005 and can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/psa-technical-note-SR04- jul-05. Performance against PSA No. 4 was published in the Home Office autumn performance report in December. This is a Command Paper and available on the Home Office website.

DNA

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance he has issued to chief constables on the retention of the DNA records of (a) children and (b) adults who have not been convicted of any offence.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 31 January 2006
	Home Office Circular 25/2001 issued to chief constables in June 2001 states that when an individual is cleared of an offence, samples taken during an investigation may be retained, but that they may only be used for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence or the conduct of a prosecution. Since April 2005, they may also be used for the purposes of identifying a deceased person. There is no distinction between the retention of DNA profiles of an adult or a juvenile.
	Guidance has also been issued in The Codes of Practice (Code D) made under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which give advice on the taking, use and retention of samples. The Codes of Practice (Code C) also give advice on interviewing juveniles.
	The decision whether or not to retain a DNA sample is an operational one for the chief constable of the force which took the sample, and the Association of Chief Police Officers has for some time been developing guidelines to assist them in the exercise of their discretion. It is expected that a decision not to retain a DNA sample will be made in exceptional circumstances only. These guidelines will be issued shortly.

Dog Fighting Act

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted under the Dog Fighting Act 1835 in each year since 1997; and what sentences they received.

Fiona Mactaggart: The question relates to the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 which has been repealed. There is no record on the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice of any prosecutions under this Act.

Drugs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the results of the Drug Intervention Programme.

Paul Goggins: Since its introduction in April 2003, over 33,000 drug misusing offenders have entered treatment through the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). Waiting times for treatment in the 'intensive' DIP areas have fallen to their lowest levels ever. Acquisitive crimeto which drug related crime makes a substantial contributionfell by 12 per cent. in the year to April 2005.
	Its success has been achieved through a combination of additional resources, new legislation, revised working practices and a stronger focus on partnership working.
	We are on track to achieve the overall target of 1,000 offenders a week into treatment by 2008 and we exceeded the interim (March 2005) target by 54 per cent. Over 2,000 offenders entered treatment in November 2005.
	The programme continues to be developed and strengthened. For example, from 1 December 2005 new provisions contained in the Drugs Act 2005 have been implemented in three police force areas: Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Nottingham. These give police powers to test for specified Class A drugs on arrest and to require persons who have tested positive for a specified Class A drug to attend an assessment of their drug use (an initial assessment). These powers are improving access to offenders including those who have previously not been in treatment. They will be extended to other intensive areas by 31 March 2006 on which date restriction on bail provisions will also be available across the whole of England.

Drugs

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been remanded in police custody for a further 192 hours under the Drugs Act 2005 for drug trafficking offences.

Paul Goggins: The power for a magistrate to remand into police custody a person charged with a drug trafficking offence for a period of up to 192 hours was contained in the Drugs Act 2005. This provision commenced on 1 January 2006, and no figures are available for its use to date.

Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of problem drug misusers he estimates are addicted to heroin.

Paul Goggins: Current estimates of the number of problematic drug users do not provide a breakdown by type of drug used.
	However, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) has published provisional figures showing that in 200304 about two thirds (67.3 per cent.) of drug treatment clients in England used heroin as their main drug. This may not provide an entirely accurate reflection of the percentage of problematic drug users who are addicted to heroin as the numbers will be influenced by the types of services that are available (reflecting historical patterns of drug use), the availability of effective treatments, and the type of clients who present to drug treatment services.

Electronic Monitoring

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) age group and (b) sex was of each asylum claimant carrying an electronic tag on 31 December 2005.

Tony McNulty: Section 36 of the Immigration and Asylum (treatment of claimants etc.) Act 2004 allows for the electronic monitoring of those of at least 18 years of age. On 31 December 2005 there were a total of 71 asylum claimants wearing an electronic tag. Their ages ranged from 2053 years. 65 were male and 6 were female.

Electronic Monitoring

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the number of asylum claimants who will be carrying an electronic tag on (a) 30 June 2006 and (b) 31 December 2006.

Tony McNulty: For the financial year 200506, a maximum of 200 new inductions have been funded, increasing to 800 new inductions for 200607. These projections are based on funding allocations.

Emigration

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have emigrated from the UK in each year since 1990.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 February 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the number of people emigrating from the United Kingdom in each year since 1990.1 am replying in her absence. (47742)
	Estimates of emigration from the UK are shown in the attached table. The figures are based on the most comprehensive estimate of migration produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Total International Migration (TIM), which is based on a number of sources. TIM estimates using the current methodology are only available from 1991 onwards. The latest estimates, for 2004, were published in the First Release on 20 October 2005, and can be found on the National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=507.
	
		Total international migration(32): Emigration time series1991 to 2004 -- Thousands
		
			  Outflow (emigration out of the United Kingdom)  All citizenships 
		
		
			 1991 285.0 
			 1992 281.1 
			 1993 266.3 
			 1994 237.6 
			 1995 236.5 
			 1996 263.7 
			 1997 279.2 
			 1998 251.5 
			 1999 290.8 
			 2000 320.7 
			 2001 307.7 
			 2002 359.4 
			 2003 361.5 
			 2004 359.5 
		
	
	(32) Data for 1991 to 2004 are based mainly on data from the International Passenger Survey. Includes adjustments for (1) those whose intended length of stay changes so that their migrant status changes; (2) asylum seekers and their dependants not identified by the IPS; and (3) flows between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
	Note:
	A small weighting adjustment has been applied to IPS data for 1991 to 1998. This reflects the estimated effect of applying the weighting improvements made to IPS data from 1999 onwards.

Enrolment Centres

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the commitment given by the noble Lord Bassam of Brighton in the House of Lords on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 979, that the Government envisage that a person will have to travel no more than one hour to get to an enrolment centre, how the Government plans (a) to implement and (b) to monitor this commitment; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: While no final decisions have been taken with regard to the eventual locations of enrolment centres for the Identity Card Scheme, current analysis envisages that no person will have to travel more than an hour to get to an enrolment centre. Provision for mobile enrolment facilities is planned for those who would have to travel more than an hour from the location of a fixed enrolment centre.
	With regard to the implementation of the enrolment centre network, this analysis has been built on existing and new research, operational experience and consultations with representatives of sparsely populated communities. In particular, the analysis will draw on extensive work carried out for the implementation of the expansion of the UK Passport Service's office network. Modelling is continuing using census, travel time and socio-economic data.
	Planning for the provision of enrolment facilities for sparsely populated communities has been informed by the experience of other organisations such as the Driving Standards Agency, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Scottish Executive Environmental and Rural Affairs Department as well as services provided by the banking industry. Consultations are continuing with DEFRA through their Rural Services Divisions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Additionally, the results from consultations conducted for the UK Passport Service have also been integrated into this work. These included discussions with local authorities in Cornwall, Devon, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Northumberland as well as the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Equality Commission, Scottish Borders Enterprise, Dumfries  Galloway Enterprise and Highlands  Island Enterprise. It is anticipated that once more detailed plans for enrolment in remote communities are ready, further consultation with relevant local bodies will take place.
	With regard to continual monitoring of travel times, final plans on how this will be monitored on an ongoing basis are yet to be decided. However, it is anticipated that this will be monitored through customer feedback, consultations with local communities and further modelling in response to population changes.

Enrolment Centres

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the commitment given by the noble Lord Bassam of Brighton in the House of Lords on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 979, that the Government envisage that a person will have to travel no more than one hour to get to an enrolment centre, what the boundaries are of the area which the Passport Service's proposed Oban office will service for this purpose.

Andy Burnham: The network of offices that the UK Passport Service is currently in the process of establishing are for interviews of adult first time passport applicants. It is not possible at this stage to announce the locations of these offices because procurement negotiations are still in progress and the availability of premises is not confirmed.
	The undertaking given by the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, related to identity card enrolment centres. The UK Passport Service will be working to similar standards and will make alternative arrangements for areas more than one hour's travel from the nearest office. The possibilities being considered are mobile offices, or premises staffed on an occasional basis by peripatetic staff, or interviews over a secure webcam link, facilitated by a local administrator.

EU Home Affairs Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to advance the home affairs agenda in the EU.

Andy Burnham: During the UK's presidency of the EU we made substantial progress on delivery of practically focussed measures which will make a real difference to the lives of citizens in the UK and the rest of the EU. We agreed the directive on retention of telecommunications data, measures to increase the EU's effectiveness against organised crime, an external relations strategy in the justice and home affairs (JHA) field and initialled agreements with Russia on readmission and visa facilitation as well as adopting council conclusions on pilot regional protection programmes. We also delivered against existing commitments in the Hague programme and the counter-terrorism and drugs action plans.
	We will be seeking to build upon the successes we achieved and take forward UK priorities in the JHA field, through continued close contact with succeeding presidencies; bilateral work with other member states; engagement through the G5 and G8 groups of countries; and by maintaining the close working relationship we have built with the Commission and the European Parliament.
	During 2006, we will push for continued momentum on the action plan on trafficking in human beings, agreed during our presidency; we will continue to encourage close working with African partners on migration; will support the Austrian presidency in building on the progress we made in our presidency to get final agreement on the European evidence warrant; and we want to see progress made on the transfer of information from criminal records, in particular to improve cross-EU protection from sex offenders for children.

Fire Alarms

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2006, Official Report, columns 201314W, on audible fire alarms, what plans he has to extend audible fire alarms coverage to all his Department's buildings where there is no operational reason for not having one.

Charles Clarke: All buildings occupied by the Home Office are subject to a fire risk assessment in line with the requirements of current legislation and the draft Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. Part of this risk assessment is to ensure that the occupants are provided with sufficient means of early warning in the event of fire. Any requirement to extend audible fire alarm coverage will therefore be addressed on a building by building basis.

FRANK Campaign

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hits on the FRANK website were recorded in 2005.

Paul Goggins: From January 2005 to the end of December there were a total of 5,241,355 visits to www.talktofrank.com.

Global Peace and Unity Conference

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria the Metropolitan Police used in deciding to sponsor the Global Peace and Unity Conference at London's Excel Centre on 4 December; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Commissioner for the police of the Metropolis informs me the criteria used in deciding to sponsor an event, organisation or activity is based on a business case approach to determine that the outcomes can provide clear benefits to the MPS and the communities it serves.
	Following the bombings and attempted bombings in London in July the MPS has been conducting consultation with faith groups to learn about their concerns, particularly about the impact that the July events had on their communities. This conference was an opportunity to engage the Muslim community and in particular young people. 17 Police Officers and Police Staff attended and spoke to 2,000 people. They were also able to promote the MPS and provide recruitment advice to individuals interested in joining the MPS, to engage the Muslim community and provide reassurance, and to encourage individuals to sign up to the Police Message Broadcasting System and to receive the MRS community bulletin.

Identity Cards

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the public sector databases that the new Identity Card Agency will have access to as part of the implementation and administration of the identity card scheme.

Andy Burnham: The use of information on public sector databases for the implementation and administration of the Identity Cards Scheme will be primarily for the electronic verification of identity information provided by an applicant. This is known as the biographical footprint check.
	This check relates to identity verification only and does not provide the Scheme with access to those databases. Instead, the Scheme will seek to verify identity information by either receiving confirmation of the information provided by the holder of the database or by that holder releasing the relevant information from those databases to the Scheme. Under Clause 11 of the Identity Cards Bill, such arrangements must be first laid out in secondary legislation and approved by Parliament by the affirmative procedure before they can occur.
	At present, the final decision about which databases will be used in the biographical footprint check has not been made and is subject to ongoing planning and assessment. In particular, the check will build on the work conducted by the UK Passport Service to verify electronically some information provided on passport applications.

Identity Cards

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure the reliability of information held on a national database in connection with an identity card scheme.

Andy Burnham: There will be a number of steps taken to ensure the reliability of information to be held on the National Identity Register. During the enrolment stage, these steps will include:
	1. The electronic verification of some information provided by the applicant against information held on other databases. Clause 30 of the Identity Cards Bill provides that a person is guilty of a criminal offence if they provide information which they know or believe to be false in order to place it on the register or are reckless as to whether this information is false;
	2. Relevant supporting documentation may also be examined in advance or at the enrolment centre to ensure that it is valid and corresponds with information provided on the application form and the results from biographical footprint check;
	3. Attendance in person to allow information to be clarified and checked with the applicant in person;
	4. The design of enrolment procedures will be informed by the experience of the UK Passport Service's introduction of personal visits for all first time passport applicants;
	5. Security policies and appropriate working procedures are being designed to prevent and detect fraud originating from either applicants or staff members;
	6. The recording and matching of biometric information which will make a much stronger link between the information recorded on the register and the individual associated with it. This will make it much easier to detect people trying to enrol more than once to establish false, multiple identities.
	There will be continuing actions to ensure that the information on the register remains reliable. Biometric verification or secure remote authentication technology will be used to link an individual to the correct record if he should wish to update it. The information provided may also be verified through electronic record checks. There will also be an online facility where, subject to secure remote authentication, an individual will be able to review their record and thus, ensure that it is accurate. In addition, a person will be entitled to request a full subject data access request under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. To encourage individuals to keep their information up to date, the Identity Cards Bill provides for a civil penalty regime. Its operation will be subject to a Code of Practice under Clause 36 of the Identity Cards Bill and this code will ensure that sufficient prior notification of this requirement will be made.

Identity Databases

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last 12 months the UK national fingerprint database was inaccessible to police forces.

Hazel Blears: The central UK national fingerprint database (NAFIS/IDENT1) has been unavailable to the police service on 96 unplanned occasions in the last 12 months. On only 36 occasions the central system was unavailable for more than two hours and for the remainder the system was unavailable for periods as short as 15 minutes. During these periods the police service were able to continue to carry out some of the identification business processes but this can also prevent users from carrying out all or part of the processes. There are currently no national figures available that reflect periods of local disruption directly connected to IDENT1 development and maintenance work. Presently Police Information Technology Organisation together with the supplier are migrating the fingerprint identification service from the National Automated Fingerprint System (NAFIS) to the new IDENT1 identification platform which will have additional capability. There has been disruption and problems to the IDENT1 service during the migration process in the last few months. These problems are being addressed by the Police Information and Technology Organisation (PITO) and should result in a robust and reliable service to the police forces being resumed as soon as possible. In order to ensure the Home Office investment in the IDENT1 service is developed and maintained to provide maximum benefit to the police fingerprint community I have asked my Home Office colleagues to review and report progress to me at regular intervals.

Identity Databases

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which international biometric databases are being used as exemplars for the development of the UK National Identity Card Register.

Andy Burnham: Since the final details of the design and implementation of the National Identity Register cannot be completed in advance of procurement stages for the Scheme, it is not possible to provide a direct comparison with another biometric database at present and as such there are no 'exemplars' for the Register. However, as well as looking at the outcomes of biometric research and testing and the advice of biometric experts, the development the National Identity Register will be informed by experience gained from the operation of other biometric databases including: IAFSIND's biometric database, IDENT1UK fingerprints database, Philippines Social Security Card System, Hong Kong Identity Card System, US Visit biometric border control system, US Department of Homeland Security border crossing database, US Department of State Mexican visa database, United Arab Emirates Iris Expellee Tracking and Border Control database.

Interception of Communications

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests have been received by his Department for the electronic interception of (a) telephones, (b) emails and (c) other electronic communications between July and December 2005; and how many requests his Department has received for details of the communications traffic data of hon. Members in this period.

Charles Clarke: The available information is published annually in the report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner. Figures for 2005 will be included in the Commissioner's next report.

Jewish Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

Charles Clarke: Staff are made aware of Hanukkah, Yom Kippur and other important Jewish festivals by means of the Department's Calendar of Religious and Cultural Festivals. Home Office staff have also attended talks, by a representative from the Chief Rabbi's office, to understand how Jewish people apply the principles of their faith to the modern world.
	The Home Office aims to promote a workplace that values staff from different religions including providing prayer/private reflection rooms and guidance for managers about staff leave arrangements around religious festival periods.

Khat

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence led to the decision by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs not to classify Khat.

Paul Goggins: The evidence which the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) considered in reaching a recommendation on Khat is described in its report which was published on 19 January. This includes research and studies on Khat drawn from both UK and international sources, and oral evidence provided by experts on the issues.

London Underground

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the security implications of internet websites which show disused stations and shafts on the London Underground.

Karen Buck: I have been asked to reply.
	While some details are already available, both on websites and in written media, London Underground seeks to control access to security-sensitive information. When assessing the security of the network, and appropriate protective security measures, both operational areas and sites which are no longer in use are considered.

Motoring Offences

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the data set for findings of guilt in England and Wales for each type of motoring offence in 2004, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex.

Paul Goggins: The annual Home Office Statistical publication 'Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary tables', table 17, lists data on findings of guilt at all courts by offence group, sex and age of offender.
	2004 data will be published end of March 2006.

National Bureaucracy Adviser

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the National Bureaucracy Adviser is provided with a car and driver; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The National Bureaucracy Adviser is not provided with a car and a driver.

National Database

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether DNA profiles held on the National DNA database will be tagged with the individual's National Identity Register number; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Government have no plans to link DNA profiles held on the National DNA Database with the proposed National Identity Register number.

National Identity Register

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances the particulars of an occasion on which information from the National Identity Register is provided to another person would not be recorded on the register as information falling under paragraph 9 of schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Bill (a) in cases where the information is provided under powers granted in clause 14 of the Bill and (b) otherwise.

Andy Burnham: It has not yet been decided on which occasionseither under the powers of Clause 14 or otherwiseinformation from the National Identity Register is provided to another person will be recorded on the register under paragraph nine of schedule one. The Identity Cards Bill does not require such information to be recorded on every occasion.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what risk assessments his Department has undertaken of the security of the National Identity Register; whether the Communications Electronics Security Group has been involved in the assessments; and what reports have emerged.

Andy Burnham: A range of security risk assessments have been undertaken on issues such as the physical, logical, procedural, personnel and systems aspects of the Identity Card Scheme. Reports have been produced and this work will be updated as the scheme develops further.
	The Communication Electronics Security Group (CESG) has been involved in the development of these assessments including elements such as card design, card manufacture and business risk modelling.

National Offender Management Service

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the indicative budget is for each of the regional offender managers to procure prison places for 200607.

Fiona Mactaggart: It is not currently intended to give regional offender managers budget delegation to procure prison places in 200607.

National Offender Management Service

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether service level agreements for prison places with regional offender managers will include the provision of increased funding for prison governors for prison populations above the certified normal accommodation at each establishment.

Fiona Mactaggart: The service level agreements between Regional Offender Managers and Prison Service Area Managers cover the provision of prison places up to operational capacity of each prison. Should the prison population change significantly, there is provision for the renegotiation of the SLAs.

Offenders (Immigration Status)

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records are kept of the immigration status of those convicted of crimes in the UK; and whether these records are available to the public.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to identify the immigration status of offenders on the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform as the individual circumstances of offenders is not collected.

Offenders' Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners serving custodial sentences in prisons and young offenders' institutions in England and Wales have dependent children.

Fiona Mactaggart: There is no routinely collected data on the number of prisoners in custody who have children, but Home Office Research Study 208 found that 66 per cent. of female prisoners had dependent children under the age of 18. Of those with children, 34 per cent. had pre-school children aged under five and a further 40 per cent. had children aged from five to 10.

Parenting Orders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting orders have been issued since 1999 where (a) a child safety order has been made, (b) an antisocial behaviour order has been made, (c) a sex offender order has been made in respect of a child or young person and (d) a child or young person has been convicted of an offence.

Fiona Mactaggart: Parenting orders were piloted between 30 September 1998 and 31 March 2000 during which period 284 parenting orders were made. Information was collected on 279 of these parenting orders of which 174 were made during criminal proceedings for offences committed by the child or young person; 103 in relation to the non attendance of children at school and two in relation to child safety orders. There were 686 parenting orders made with other civil orders between April 2000 and 31 March 2004 but the information collected by the Youth Justice Board over that period did not show whether these other civil orders were child safety orders, antisocial behaviour orders or sex-offender orders. The Youth Justice Board recorded 64 parenting orders made with antisocial behaviour orders between April 2004 and 30 September 2005 but none with child safety or sex offender orders. Between April 2000 and 30 September 2005, the Youth Justice Board recorded 4,429 parenting orders where the child or young person had been convicted of an offence and a further 249 made in connection with a referral order.

Passport Service

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Passport Service's proposed Oban office will first open for interviews; and for how many hours each week it will open for interviews.

Andy Burnham: It is not yet possible to announce locations for the offices being established to carry out interviews of adult first time passport applicants because procurement negotiations are still in progress and the availability of premises has not been confirmed. The intention is for all offices to open in the last quarter of this year. The number of hours each will open will vary and will be determined by the number of interview appointments to be accommodated. All offices will be open on Saturdays.

Passport Service

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passport photographs of under-5 year olds were rejected in December 2005.

Andy Burnham: For the five week period commencing 28 November 2005, 2,918 photographs for children aged five and under were rejected. This equates to around 7 per cent. of all applications from children aged under six.

Passport Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to allow passport application and renewal forms to be issued through small post offices.

Andy Burnham: There is currently a network of 2,513 post office branches that offer the passport application Check and Send service and therefore hold passport application packs. Of these branches 1,082 are post office sub branches.

Police

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his proposals to restructure the police force in North Yorkshire.

Hazel Blears: Further to my written ministerial statement of 11 November, I would like to state that based upon feedback given on 9 November to forces and authorities, they are further developing their options for change. For the Yorkshire and Humber region, two options of those submitted were assessed as meeting the criteria and these are, (1) a single regional strategic force option and (2) two strategic forces, North Yorkshire merging with West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire merging with Humberside. I made it clear that police authorities including North Yorkshire, are free to submit options other than ones we have commented on if they wish to, making a compelling case for these by 23 December. No decisions will be made until after the consultation process has run its course.

Police

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Written Statement of 5 December 2005, Official Report, columns 6879WS, on police authorities in England and Wales (grant allocations), what his Department's definition of a neighbourhood is.

Hazel Blears: The Government are committed to ensuring that every neighbourhood will have a dedicated neighbourhood policing team by 2008. The size of the neighbourhood which is served by this team will vary from area to area: a neighbourhood to an inner-city resident will be very different from what it means to someone living in a predominantly rural area. Typically though, it is likely that a neighbourhood will cover one or two council wards. What is really important is that residents will know the names of their local officers see them on the street and have their phone numbers and email addresses.

Police

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Lancashire police force has a policy of attending every reported crime.

Hazel Blears: The chief constable is responsible for the day to day operational management of the force. You may therefore wish to redirect your query to him.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2006, Official Report, columns 20322033W, on police, what the job description is of the National Bureaucracy Adviser; what annual budget has been allocated for her work; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The job description of the National Bureaucracy Adviser includes:
	visiting forces and, in particular, operational officers and police staff, to raise awareness of the reducing bureaucracy agenda;
	obtaining solutions which would reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and challenging, where necessary, existing practices and assumptions;
	identifying and disseminating 'quick wins' to forces which specifically impact on operational policing;
	identifying transferable good practice within forces and disseminating it quickly to others;
	acting as a national advisor to all forces on effectively tackling bureaucratic burdens on operational police officers;
	creating a network of lead officers within forces on the reducing bureaucracy agenda and, through this, encouraging the exchange of ideas and good practice which impact on operational policing; and
	engaging in follow-up visits to forces to check progress and provide more assistance where appropriate.
	The budget allocated for her work allows for her salary and travel expenses.

Police

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Police Service has made in achieving diversity targets on recruiting and retaining (a) female officers and (b) officers from ethnic minority backgrounds in the last three years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The Police Service continues to make steady progress towards the 2009 Race Equality Employment Targets. In 2003, BME representation was 2.9 per cent. In 2004 it was 3.3 per cent. and in 2005 it was 3.5 per cent. Although the number of minority ethnic police officers narrowly missed the 2004 milestone of 4 per cent., further measures are being put in place to ensure that numbers continue to rise steadily and that the Police Service meets the 2009 target of 7 per cent. The retention rate for minority ethnic officers compared with white officers is very similar over comparable length of service periods after the first two years point. In the first six months of service however, minority ethnic officers are leaving at a greater rate than white officers (12.6 per cent. of BME officers compared to 7.6 per cent. of white officers) although the wastage rate is lower than in previous years. The wastage rate for officers with six months to two years' service has increased for both groups. No targets have been set for the recruitment and retention of women.

Police

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when West Yorkshire constabulary will get its own anti-terrorist unit.

Hazel Blears: West Yorkshire police is in the process of establishing its own Counter Terrorism Support Unit (CTSU). The CTSU will be a dedicated team of specialist detectives and staff, who will investigate terrorists and terrorist offences. A number of West Yorkshire officers/staff have begun a training programme in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch to ensure complete interoperability of systems and processes to support joint investigations in West Yorkshire and other forces.

Police

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total police funding allocated to each London borough is for the next three years, broken down by (a) staff and (b) non-staff funding; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Government allocates funding to police authorities as a whole. The distribution of resources for policing in each London borough is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis.
	The Metropolitan Police Authority has yet to set its budget for 200607 and beyond.

Police

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of (a) the cost of each of the police force amalgamations and (b) the total cost of the police amalgamations proposed in his statement of 11 November 2005.

Hazel Blears: We are currently working to determine the viability of the options. This includes detailed analysis of the financial implications both for set-up costs and future benefits.
	A Working Group led by my Department with participation from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Welsh Assembly Government, Her Majesty's Treasury and police representative bodies has been established to examine the financial aspects of reorganisation, including the impact of restructuring on budgets, grant and council tax.

Police

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will rank each basic command unit in each English police force by sanctioned detection rate for the most recent reporting period; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Sanction detections rates by basic command units (BCUs) for the financial year 200405; tables are available in the Library. These rates are shown in alphabetical order by police force. The home office does not rank BCUs by sanction detection rate performance.

Police

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received representations from the European Commission in respect of the restructuring of police forces in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: No. The Home Office has not received any representations from the European Commission regarding police force restructuring in England and Wales.

Police

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow further time for consultation on the future of policing in Bedfordshire and the East of England.

Hazel Blears: Forces and authorities have had the opportunity to consult with relevant stakeholders since the process began in September 2005. In recognition of the challenging timescale for developing options for change force and authorities have been given the opportunity to further refine their business cases during January 2006.

Police

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the police force restructuring proposals on the recorded levels of crime in the year after they are introduced for each constabulary in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: The Government's Spending Review 2004 Public Service Agreements set a target to reduce crime by 15 per cent., and further in high crime areas, by 200708. We remain committed to delivering those reductions in crime and any objectives beyond this period will arise out of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. Force restructuring is intended to improve the capacity and capability of forces in England and Wales to provide an effective service, to ensure that every force is well equipped to deliver effective protective services, as well as effective policing at the neighbourhood level.

Police

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many helicopters owned, used or hired by the police were in use over East Yorkshire on (a) 21 and (b) 22 January; and what the reason was in each case.

Hazel Blears: The Humberside Police Air Support Unit made a number of flights over East Yorkshire on 21 and 22 January. The times and reasons for the flights are shown in the following table.
	Additionally, West Yorkshire Police Air Support Unit made one flight over the East Yorkshire area, also shown in the table.
	
		Humberside Police Air Support Unit
		
			 21 January  Area covered Reason for flight 
		
		
			 00.13 01.00 Cottingham Searching for suspects from domestic burglary 
			   North Hull Proactive crime patrol 
			   Hull City Centre Proactive crime patrol 
			   West Hull Proactive crime patrol 
			   Cottingham Proactive crime patrol 
			 14.20 15.05 North Hull Searching for suspects for vehicle crime 
			   Hull City Centre Stolen motor vehicle pursuit 
			   North Hull Searching for suspects for vehicle crime 
			   East Hull Disqualified driving incident 
			 20.50 21.25 East Hull Racially based public order and vehicle crime incident 
			 22.10 22.20 West Hull Firearms offences 
			 22.40 23.00 West Hull Searching for suspects from domestic burglary and searching for fire 
			   East Hull Searching for suspects from domestic burglary 
			 
			 22 January
			 01.30 01.40 East Hull Stolen motor vehicle pursuit 
			 04.00 04.45 Burstwick Searching for suspects from domestic burglary 
			   East Hull Searching for suspects from domestic burglary 
			   North Hull Searching for suspects from domestic burglary 
			 13.20 14.00 Hull City Centre Searching for suspects for a theft 
			   West Hull Youths causing annoyance on stolen mopeds 
			   North Hull Photographing scene of a fatal accident 
			 18.40 18.45 East Hull Disqualified driving incident 
			 
			 West Yorkshire Police Air Support Unit 
			 21 January
			 21.25 21.35 Askham Bryan Searching for suspects from domestic burglary

Police

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the private finance projects in place in each police force in England and Wales; and what is (a) the cost and (b) the duration of each.

Hazel Blears: The following list shows all grant supported police private finance initiative (PFI) projects which are operational or under construction. Information is not held on any PFI projects developed without grant support.
	
		
			   Police force   PFI project  PFI credits ( million) Length of service contract (years) 
		
		
			 Cheshire Centralised custody suites 41 29 
			 Cheshire Force HQ 45 30 
			 Cleveland Rationalised custody 38.3 26.5 
			 Cleveland/Durham Firearms facility 11 25 
			 Cumbria Workington Police Station 7.5 25 
			 Derbyshire Ilkeston Police Station 3.8 30 
			 Derbyshire Divisional HQ and City Police Station 23.9 30 
			 Dorset Divisional HQ and three new police stations 24.3 30 
			 Dyfed Powys Ammanford Police Station 5.3 30 
			 Gloucestershire Force HQ 26.2 30 
			 GMP Property ReviewDivisional/Sub Divisional HQ and police stations 63 25 
			 Gwent Ystrad Mynach Police Station 8.7 30 
			 Kent Divisional HQMedway 23.6 30 
			 North Wales Divisional HQ and Major Incident Unit 19.6 25 
			 Norfolk HQ, Operations and Communications Centre 36.3 35 
			 Northumbria Mounted facilities 1.9 15 
			 Nottinghamshire Traffic wing and vehicles services 21.4 25 
			 Sussex Centralised custody suites 39.3 30 
			 TVP Abingdon Area Divisional HQ 10.4 30 
			 Wiltshire Divisional HQ and satellite facilities 24 30 
			 Wiltshire Air support 3.1 10 
		
	
	Note:
	PFI credits are the assumed capital component of the project, on which annual revenue support grant is paid.

Police

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police authorities did not respond to the consultation on restructuring before 23 December 2005 deadline;
	(2)  how many police authorities submitted (a) business plans and (b) implementation plans for restructuring forces on or before 23 December 2005 deadline.

Hazel Blears: 42 of 43 police forces and authorities responded to the consultation deadline of 23 December 2005 with the exception of the Metropolitan Police for whom a later deadline was agreed to take account of the separate reviews of British Transport Police by Department of Transport and of fraud by the Attorney General. The responses received did not necessarily constitute full business cases. Rather, they set out the force and authority's response to the recommendations in HMIC's report, Closing the Gap.

Police

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will fund the initial start-up costs of merging Bedfordshire Police with other forces.

Hazel Blears: We are currently working to determine the viability of the options for reorganisation. This includes detailed analysis of the financial implications for set up costs and for future costs and benefits.
	We are also working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Welsh Assembly Government, HM Treasury and police representative bodies in examining the financial aspects of reorganisation, including the impact of restructuring on budgets, grant and council tax. I announced details of the provisional police funding settlement for 200607 and 200708 on 5 December and capital grant allocations on 13 January. I have set aside 50 million capital grant for 200607 and 75 million for 200708 to address prospective force amalgamations.

Police

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the number of officers Bedfordshire police will have if the reorganisation costs of a merger are not borne by central Government and police precepts are capped at 5 per cent.

Hazel Blears: No decisions have been made about the future structure of policing in Bedfordshire.
	We are currently working to determine the viability of the options. This includes detailed analysis of the financial implications both for set up costs and future benefits. Budget management for any reorganised police area will be a matter for the new police authority and the chief officer, who will be responsible for prioritising local needs.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs of new (a) names and (b) insignia for police forces following amalgamation; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: No decisions have been made about the future structure of police forces in England and Wales.
	We are currently working to determine the viability of the options. This includes detailed analysis of the financial implications both for set up costs and future benefits. It would be premature to comment further until this analysis has been completed.

Police

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the basis is of the estimate of potential savings in paragraph 6.30 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, Closing the Gap; and if he will publish the relevant calculations.

Hazel Blears: The relevant calculations can be found in Appendix I (Summary of potential costs and savings associated with Merging Police Forces; pg 108) of the Closing the Gap Report.

Police

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what funding his Department has paid to the Metropolitan police for the operations of (a) S012 and (b) S013 in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the budget for Special Branch was in each police force in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what funding was provided by his Department for the Special Branch National Training Unit in each year since 1997; and what his Department's projected funding is for (a) 200607 and (b) 200708;
	(4)  what funding the Metropolitan Police Special Branch Surveillance Unit received in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally. There is no Special Branch National Training Unit. Training for Special Branch Officers is co-ordinated through the Metropolitan Police Service but with contributions from other police forces.

Police

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations in (a) Westmorland and Lonsdale and (b) Cumbria have been closed in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: No police stations have been closed in Westmorland and Lonsdale in the last five years. The change in the number of police stations in Cumbria in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		Police stations opened and closed in Cumbria
		
			  Cumbria police stations 
			  Opened Closed Total 
		
		
			 March 2000 0 0 24 
			 March 2001 0 0 24 
			 March 2002 1 1 24 
			 March 2003 0 0 24 
			 March 2004 1 1 24 
			 March 2005 3 1 26 
			 Total 5 3 +2

Prisoners

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the distribution of weekly supplementary nutritional packs to prisoners suffering from diabetes; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Supplementary nutritional packs are not used within the Prison Service.
	Treatment of prisoners with diabetes is provided in line with the National Service Framework on diabetes which requires that diagnosed patients should receive appropriate dietary advice. This is provided to prisoners through the prison healthcare department. Any specific medical diets are prescribed by the prison doctor and notified to the catering department.

Prisoners

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has taken to ensure that non-smoking prison inmates are not required to share cells with prisoners who smoke.

Fiona Mactaggart: Each prison develops its own no smoking policy in line with current health and safety advice, taking into account the type of establishment it is, its population and the special needs of that population. Wherever possible prisoners should not be required to share accommodation with a smoker if they so request. A working group has been set up to look at the smoke free elements of the current Health Bill as they apply to prisons. It will consider this issue as part of that work.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what account is taken of prison officers' (a) experience and (b) opinions in the construction of offender resettlement initiatives; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the contribution to effective resettlement made by prison officers; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office has not undertaken a formal assessment of the contribution prison officers make to effective resettlement. However, prison officers are involved in the delivery of a number of programmes that have been accredited.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of correlation between prison overcrowding and deaths in custody; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Overcrowding alone does not explain why there are self-inflicted deaths in prisons. In 2005, despite rises in the prison population, the number of apparent self-inflicted deaths fell by 18 per cent. in comparison to 2004. Most importantly, a high proportion of prisoners arrive in prison having experienced negative life events that we know increase the risk of an individual harming themselves. We also know that cell-sharing is a protective factor against suicide.
	That said, managing high numbers of prisoners can lead to an increase in transfers between prisons, itself a time of heightened risk. More people being received into custody may mean that some prisoners are located further from home, which, in turn, may mean that their access to familial or social support is affected. Sometimes overcrowding will reduce the time staff can spend with individual prisoners on care and risk assessment, and it sometimes leads to an increase in the length of time prisoners are locked in their cells, rather than engaged in regime activities, association and other purposeful activity. These factors together increase distress which we know from research by the University of Cambridge is related to suicide rates.

Prisons

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the capacity is of Woodhill Prison, Milton Keynes.

Fiona Mactaggart: The useable operational capacity of HMP Woodhill is 762 as at 31 January 2006.

Probation Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unfilled posts there are in each region in the Probation Service; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Not all probation areas operate a set establishment against which vacancies can be measured. The Probation Service is however able to report on the number of active vacancies within each region. An active vacancy is one which a probation area is actively trying to fill through a recruitment process.
	The figures shown represent active vacancies, expressed in full time equivalent value, in each probation region as at 30 September 2005. This is the most recent information available.
	The number of active vacancies in the London region is significantly higher than elsewhere in the Probation Service. This is due to the fact that: the London probation area is currently undertaking a recruitment exercise to achieve a 10 per cent. increase in staff numbers this year, and this is in addition to recruitment required to fill vacancies occurring as a result of normal staff attrition.
	Please note that the Greater Manchester probation area is not able to provide active vacancy figures at present, and does not contribute to the figures recorded for the North West region.
	
		
			  FTE vacancies Vacancy (percentage) 
		
		
			 North West 89.70 4.43 
			 North East 80.30 5.83 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 97.78 3.97 
			 West Midlands 37.86 1.62 
			 East Midlands 66.20 3.56 
			 East of England 73.88 4.45 
			 South West 162.41 9.63 
			 South East 111.51 4.67 
			 London 618.00 20.52 
			 Wales 39.40 3.07

Project Cyclamen

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of Project Cyclamen; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Programme Cyclamen is a key element of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy. The latest Office of Government Commerce Gateway review assessed Programme Cyclamen as greenthe programme is on target to succeed. Equipment has been installed at a number of sea and airports, and has screened over 2 million arrivals. Strategic fixed and mobile equipment is being rolled out across the UK during 200607.

Public Authorities (Disclosure of Violent Incidents)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Association of Chief Police Officers about the creation of a specific statutory duty requiring public authorities to disclose incidents of violence coming to their attention which are committed by readily identifiable individuals; and when (i) he and (ii) his officials last met the Deputy Chief Constable of Surrey Police to discuss the creation of such an offence;
	(2)  whether he plans to introduce a statutory duty requiring public authorities to disclose incidents of violence coming to their attention which are committed by readily identifiable individuals; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether he (a) saw and (b) commented upon a draft of the letter from the Deputy Chief Constable of Surrey Police, dated 13 January, on the creation of a specific statutory duty requiring public authorities to disclose incidents of violence coming to their attention which are committed by readily identifiable individuals.

Hazel Blears: There are currently no plans to introduce a statutory duty requiring public authorities to disclose personalised data related to incidents of violence in this way, and neither I nor my officials have met with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) about this specific matter. My officials did meet with the Deputy Chief Constable of Surrey Police at his request in March last year, on the more general subject of information sharing on violent crime. I understand that officials are due to meet again with him this month, in response to his specific proposals on this issue as outlined in the question.
	The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 gives those responsible authorities which make up Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships a power to share aggregate, depersonalised data between themselves in the interest of preventing crime, disorder, substance misuse or antisocial behaviour. In the context of work being done in the Home Office to improve partnership arrangements, the potential for strengthening these provisions has been included in a review of the Crime and Disorder Act, which was completed this month.

Race Equality Scheme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the publication of a revised Race Equality Scheme for the Home Office Group; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: The revised Home Office Race Equality Scheme was published on 26 May 2005. The scheme is available on the Home Office website: http://communities.homeoffice.gov.uk/raceandfaith/race-ethnicity/race-equality-schemes/Publication ref: 268845/90

Rape

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the conviction rate for rape.

Paul Goggins: In 2004, the proportion of recorded rapes that resulted in a conviction was 5.29 per cent. The Rape Action Plan 2002 led to a number of changes to the legal system and to the way in which the police and Crown Prosecution Service operate. These were intended to increase the likelihood of cases getting to trial and securing convictions. We have recently undertaken a stock take of the Rape Action Plan which will be followed up by an inspection into the investigation and prosecution of allegations of rape, due to report in the summer.

Recommendation 61 Forms

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been stopped and issued with a Recommendation 61 form in the London borough of Croydon since its inception.

Hazel Blears: Information on these stops is collected for police force areas only. 200506 is the first year of collection, and, in line with other data for that year, it is planned to make this information available in the Section 95 publication 'Race and the Criminal Justice System', to be published in early 2007.

Re-offending

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the re-offending rate of offenders within the Cambridgeshire probation area was in each year between 199798 and 200304; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Re-offending rates are not available centrally on a sub-national basis.
	National re-offending rates are published annually. The most recent data are published in 'Adult re-offending: results from the 2002 cohortHome Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05'. This is available on the Home Office's website (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html). The report contains information on reconviction for the 1997 cohort and re-offending that results in conviction for the 2002 cohort.

Road Monitoring

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what controls and checks are in place to ensure that information gained from the new national monitoring of road journeys by CCTV is not misused; when this monitoring of road journeys was authorised; and by whom.

Hazel Blears: I refer to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon, on 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 2014.
	Safeguards are in place to ensure that access to the data collected and retained by the Police using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technologies is strictly controlled, particularly for the purposes of investigating serious organised crime and terrorism.

Secure Establishments

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the staff turnover at (a) local authority secure accommodation, (b) Home Office youth establishments and (c) secure training centres was in each of the last three years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested in respect of Prison Service young offender institutions and secure training centres is given in the following tables. No data is collected centrally on staff turnover in local authority secure children's homes.
	
		Staff turnover in prison service young offender institutions(33) -- Percentage
		
			 Establishment 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Brinsford 5.6 5.1 6.0 
			 Bullwood Hall 8.8 10.7 6.3 
			 Castington 8.0 5.2 6.5 
			 Downview 9.1 10.1 9.4 
			 Eastwood Park 14.9 13.4 12.2 
			 Feltham 11.6 10.6 9.6 
			 Hindley 6.1 12.7 9.9 
			 Huntercombe 15.8 16.6 14.1 
			 Lancaster Farms 4.7 4.1 5.6 
			 New Hall 6.3 9.9 9.8 
			 Stoke Heath 5.3 8.8 10.2 
			 Thorn Cross 9.4 5.4 8.2 
			 Warren Hill(34)  8.2 9.4 
			 Werrington 9.4 12.4 7.7 
			 Wetherby 7.7 7.2 8.8 
		
	
	(33) Turnover is measured as the total number of leavers during the year, excluding casual and administrative staff but including retirements, divided by staff in post at the start of the year. A number of healthcare staff transferred from the prison service to primary care trusts as part of the change of responsibility for healthcare commissioning: they are not included in the figures.
	(34) Before February 2003, Warren Hill was part of HM Prison and YOI Hollesley Bay. It is not possible separately to identify staff at Warren Hill before that date.
	
		Secure training centres(35) -- Percentage
		
			 Centre 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Hassockfield 36 25 27 
			 Rainsbrook 13 22 23 
			 Medway(36) 26 37 28 
			 Oakhill(37) n/a n/a 31 
		
	
	(35) Data from the centres include staff that were provisionally appointed but did not actually start work for various reasons, including failure to pass the initial training course or receive criminal records bureau clearance. (These staff did not have contact with children.)
	(36) When Medway expanded in 2003 it recruited more staff than proved to be needed. The higher turnover in that year reflects adjustment to the appropriate staffing level through natural wastage.
	(37) Oakhill opened in August 2004.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he estimates that the Serious Organised Crime Agency will be operational.

Paul Goggins: The Serious Organised Crime Agency will be operational on 1 April.

Sports Events (Security)

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Security Industry Authority about the effects on sports bodies of the implementation of the Private Security Industry Act 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Home Office Ministers and officials have regular contact with the Security Industry Authority.

Staff Discipline

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees have been dismissed by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Charles Clarke: The table contains information on the total number of dismissals from the Home Office (including Prison Service, IND and core Departments) since April 2000.
	
		
			 Period Total dismissals 
		
		
			 200001 179 
			 200102 272 
			 200203 366 
			 200304 562 
			 200405 469 
			 April-November 2006 301 
			 Total 2,149 
		
	
	The information includes dismissal reasons. for; inefficiency, conduct and performance.

Substance Abuse Offences

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests, (b) convictions and (c) cautions there were in the Avon and Somerset police authority area for offences relating to (i) the possession and (ii) dealing in class (A) A, (B) B and (C) C drugs in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not currently collate data on the number of arrests for separate classes of drug offences. We do however have data on the number of people found guilty and cautioned under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
	The number of people who have been found guilty for possession and dealing offences in Avon and Somerset in each year since 1997 is shown in the following tables.
	
		Table 1: The number of people found guilty for possession and dealing offences
		
			  Class A Class B Class C 
			  Possession Dealing Possession Dealing Possession Dealing 
		
		
			 1997 321 111 124 27 328 80 
			 1998 343 118 105 22 423 109 
			 1999 332 137 105 22 502 73 
			 2000 330 135 119 21 552 85 
			 2001 289 107 115 22 482 57 
			 2002 263 137 70 11 482 57 
			 2003 252 167 70 11 508 63 
			 2004 265 151 75 8 (38)327 59 
		
	
	(38) Street warnings were introduced in April 2004.
	Note:
	Cannabis was reclassified to a class C drug in January 2004. For the purpose of this exercise.
	
		Table 2: The number of people cautioned for possession and dealing offences
		
			  Class A Class B Class C 
			  Possession Dealing Possession Dealing Possession Dealing 
		
		
			 1997 126 4 3 1 460 28 
			 1998 152 5 5 2 868 11 
			 1999 206 13 1 0 965 9 
			 2000 183 8 0 0 710 9 
			 2001 131 9 0 1 856 9 
			 2002 172 5 4 0 990 18 
			 2003 206 1 8 2 953 12 
			 2004 236 0 8 2 (39)392 7 
		
	
	(39) Street warnings were introduced in April 2004.
	Note:
	Cannabis was reclassified to a class C drug in January 2004. For the purpose of this exercise.

Tasers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a standard policy in place for taser deployment and usage in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: I have indicated to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that I am content for taser to be made available to Authorised Firearms Officers as a less lethal option for use in situations where a firearms authority has been granted.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers has produced Policy and Operational Guidance documents on the use of taser. Both documents are available at www.westmercia.police.uk

Terrorism (UK Airports)

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding funding for the provision of counter-terrorism initiatives at London Luton airport for 200607; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: A number of representations have been received in respect of extraordinary funding provided for Bedfordshire police in 200506 for policing at Luton airport but none in relation to 200607. These representations included the Chair of Bedfordshire Police Authority and a number of other MPs with constituencies in Bedfordshire.

UK Passport Service

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many original documents requested by the UK Passport Service were lost during the last four years.

Andy Burnham: For the period one January 2002 to 31 December 2005 the UK Passport Service have received 634 customer complaints relating to missing or lost documents sent in support of a passport application. Between one January 2002 and 31 December 2005 the UK Passport Service processed 23 million applications. The number of complaints about lost supporting documents therefore represents 0.0027 per cent. of the number of applications processed during this period.

Vehicle Recovery Times

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times vehicle recovery companies were used by the (a) West Mercia and (b) Staffordshire police forces in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many companies were used by each force to deal with (i) breakdowns, (ii) accidents and (iii) emergencies in this period.

Hazel Blears: The figures requested are not collected centrally

Witness Protection

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to protect complainants and witnesses in antisocial behaviour cases.

Hazel Blears: The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 introduced special measures for witnesses in proceedings for antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs). These measures were introduced to address concerns about the protection of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. The measures include screening witnesses from the defendants, giving evidence through video link or in private, and the use of video recorded evidence. This makes it easier for witnesses to give evidence in the Crown and magistrates court during an ASBO hearing. antisocial behaviour response courts have been established in magistrates courts sitting in their civil capacity to ensure that witness issues are addressed, and the Respect Action Plan announced plans to establish similar arrangements for county courts. There are also plans to introduce the same measures for ASBO victims in civil hearings as for victims in criminal cases. The Home Office has issued a good practice guide to practitioners on how best to support a witness.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of demand in each accident and emergency department was between midnight and 4 am, on 4 December (a) 2004 and (b) 2005.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collect centrally. The data that the Department does collect on accident and emergency attendance is available on the Department's website at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/about_data/a_and_e_attendances.htm

Administrative Costs

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 849, if she will set out the figures for the proportion of the NHS budget spent in administrative costs since 1996.

Liam Byrne: National health service administration costs as a percentage of total NHS expenditure have fallen since 199667. In 199697 NHS administration costs were 6.1 per cent. of the total NHS budget and in 200405 NHS administration costs were 4.9 per cent. of the total NHS Budget 1 .
	1 These figures are not directly comparable.
	
		Administration costs --  million
		
			  199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Total administration costs in health authorities and primary care trusts and management costs in NHS trusts 2,020 1,963 1,935 2,158 2,166 2,565 n/a 3,345 3,412 
			 NHS total expenditure (England) 32,997 34,664 36,608 40,201 43,932 49,021 54,042 63,001 69,706 
			 As a percentage of total net NHS expenditure 6.1 5.7 5.3 5.4 4.9 5.2 n/a 5.3 4.9 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	Notes:
	1. Health Authorities for 199697 to 200102.
	2. Strategic Health Authorities 200304.
	3. Primary Care Trusts 200001 to 200304.
	4. NHS Trusts 199697 to 200304.
	5. 200203 figurescontains significant, unmeasurable element of double counting of PCT costs in particular shared services. (See Background for PQ0774 for detail).
	6. From 200405 NHS administration costs are calculated using admin and clerical figures from the administration and estates staff costs (cash terms). These figures are not directly comparable.
	7. These figures do not contain NHS Foundation Trust counts, NHS Foundation Trusts report management costs separately to Monitor, the independent regulator for NHS Foundation Trusts, using DH management costs guidance as best practice.

Agenda for Change

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appeals in relation to pay under Agenda for Change have been received from (a) nurses, (b) physiotherapists, (c) occupational therapists and (d) speech and language therapists working in the NHS.

Liam Byrne: This information is not held centrally, as requests for reviews of banding under Agenda for Change are dealt with locally. But reports of progress on assimilation received by the Department so far suggest that the number of reviews at most trusts are modest in relation to the size of the work force.

Agenda for Change

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which grades of (a) nurses, (b) physiotherapists, (c) occupational therapists and (d) speech and language therapists will receive (i) pay increases and (ii) frozen or reduced pay under Agenda for Change; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Under the Agenda for Change pay system staff are assigned to new pay bands based on job weight as determined by the national health service job evaluation scheme, rather than on the basis of the person's original job title or grade. As a result, outcomes may differ for people previously in the same grade, and it is not possible to answer the question in the form in which it has been put.

Bristol Health Services Plan

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether private finance initiative funds have been earmarked by her Department for the Bristol Health Services Plan; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The two major capital investment projects for Bristolthe United Bristol Healthcare and North Bristol/South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trusts schemesare currently finalising the funding and service options in their outline business cases (OBC) in light of the findings from the Bristol Health Services Plan. The OBCs will then need to be approved by Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority and then the Department.

Cancelled Operations

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what status patients have who have been removed from hospital waiting lists due to operations being cancelled by the hospital at short notice but who have not yet been treated; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: A patient whose operation is cancelled by the hospital is not removed from the hospital's waiting list until they have been treated.
	The cancelled operations guarantee introduced in April 2002 states that when a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital at the last minute for non-clinical reasons the hospital should offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.
	The Department is seeking to reduce the number of cancellations. First, by increasing the use of day surgery and treatment centres to minimize the effect of emergencies that can cause cancellations. Second, by including cancellations in the ratings of hospitals in the patient choice information booklets. Third, through the 18 weeks maximum waiting time target which will require national health service trusts to treat promptly patients whose operations are cancelled.
	Despite the increasing number of national health service operations cancellations at the last minute, they are 16 per cent. lower than three years ago.

Capio Healthcare

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2006, Official Report, column 1293W, to question ref. 38278, on Capio Healthcare UK, on what date Capio Healthcare UK submitted its bid for the contract in the programme for the provision of a national chain of treatment centres.

Liam Byrne: Capio Healthcare UK submitted its bid for the contract for the provision of a national chain of treatment centres on 13 June 2003.

Cardiac Physiologists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cardiac physiologists have worked in the NHS in each year since 1997; and how many full-time equivalent posts this represents.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of healthcare scientists working in the cardiology area of work as at September 2004 is shown in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: qualified healthcare scientists in the cardiology area of work in England by level as at 30 September 2004
		
			  Full time equivalent Headcount 
		
		
			 England 1,955 2,187 
			 Consultant Clinical Scientist (Grade C) 10 10 
			 Clinical Scientist (Grade A and B) 28 30 
			 MTO/Technician 1,797 2,022 
			 Cyto-screener 121 125 
		
	
	Notes:
	Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre, non-medical workforce census
	Cardiac Physiologists had not been separately collected from other healthcare scientists until the 2004 workforce census.

Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 156, to the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond) on NHS finance, what the level of deficit was in each year for (a) each hospital within the Merseyside/Cheshire strategic health authority (SHA) area and (b) the SHA itself.

Liam Byrne: Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority (SHA) was formed in 200203. The final financial position for each national health service trust covered by Cheshire and Merseyside SHA and for the Cheshire and Merseyside SHA for the years 200203 to 200405 are shown in the table.
	The table also includes the 200506 month six forecast financial position for both the Cheshire and Merseyside SHA and for the NHS trusts covered by the SHA.
	
		000
		
			  NHS trust under/(over) spend 
			 NHS trust name 200203 200304 200405 200506(40) 
		
		
			 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust 30 15 38 -4,071 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 5 5 7 0 
			 Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust 3 33 13 0 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHSTrust 6 22 32 0 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust(41) 2 1 n/a n/a 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 10 19 24 -13,500 
			 Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Trust(42) 9 7 7 n/a 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 2,428 0 9 0 
			 Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust 5 6 15 0 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 8 25 84 -2,000 
			 Royal Liverpool Broadgreen Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 0 -2,389 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust 1 3 10 -2,055 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 7 1 -1,189 -15,000 
			 St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 2 93 9 0 
			 The Cardiothoracic CntrLiverpool NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 
			 The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 23 3 31 -6,044 
			 Walton Neurology Centre NHS Trust 15 10 10 0 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 19 16 25 0 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 189 5,234 6,483 17,596 
		
	
	(40) Month 6 forecast.
	(41) Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust achieved NHS foundation trust status on 1 April 2004.
	(42) Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Trust achieved NHS foundation trust status on 1 April 2004.
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules 200203 to 200405.
	200506 Month 6 Financial Monitoring returns.

Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated by her Department to Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years; and what the purpose of each allocation was.

Liam Byrne: Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority (SHA) was formed in 200203. The capital allocations made to Cheshire and Merseyside SHA for the years 200304 to 200506 are shown in the table.
	
		Cheshire and Merseyside SHA economy -- 000
		
			  200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Operational capital 39,082 43,885 49,038 
			 Access fund 5,603 5,603 5,603 
			 Strategic capital 37,805 41,940 50,589 
			 
			 Total 82,490 91,428 105,230 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Strategic capital is allocated for prioritisation by the SHA across the health economy. Strategic capital is allocated to NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) for larger capital projects facilitating strategic change. 2. Operational capital is allocated directly to NHS trusts and PCTs within the SHA health economy for minor capital developments and equipment replacement. 3. The access fund is allocated to the SHA to reward progress against access targets within the patch.
	Cheshire and Merseyside SHA has received revenue allocations for its running costs of 4.7 million in 200304, 5.1 million in 200405 and 5.4 million in 200506. This funding is to cover the day-to-day operational management and running of the SHA to allow it to carry out its responsibilities and functions.
	In addition, revenue allocations are made to PCTs to enable them to commission health care for their local populations. The funding covers hospital and community health services, prescribing and primary medical services. The revenue allocations for 200306 and 200608 for PCTs in the Cheshire and Merseyside SHA are shown in the tables.
	
		PCT recurrent revenue allocations 200304 to 200506
		
			  Allocation Three year increase 
			 PCT 200304 (000) 200405 (000) 200506 (000) 000 Percentage 
		
		
			 Bebington and West Wirral 99,993 108,879 118,128 26,451 28.9 
			 Birkenhead and Wallasey 224,569 246,463 269,198 65,022 31.8 
			 Central Cheshire 203,159 222,612 242,996 57,968 31.3 
			 Central Liverpool 286,884 321,165 358,315 102,963 40.3 
			 Cheshire West 138,205 150,791 164,098 37,635 29.8 
			 Eastern Cheshire 161,386 175,727 190,654 42,696 28.9 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 77,814 84,726 91,920 20,609 28.9 
			 Halton 122,778 134,429 146,687 34,760 31.1 
			 Knowsley 163,276 183,010 204,420 59,356 40.9 
			 North Liverpool 118,120 132,316 147,710 42,669 40.6 
			 South Liverpool 100,413 110,029 120,103 28,648 31.3 
			 South Sefton 161,978 177,546 193,820 46,336 31.4 
			 Southport and Formby 115,701 125,978 136,676 30,640 28.9 
			 St. Helens 181,808 199,906 222,113 57,142 34.6 
			 Warrington 163,513 178,963 195,266 46,165 31.0 
		
	
	
		PCT recurrent revenue allocations 200607 to 200708
		
			  Allocation Two year increase 
			 PCT 200607 (000) 200708 (000) 000 Percentage 
		
		
			 Bebington and West Wirral 138,522 149,618 21,738 17.0 
			 Birkenhead and Wallasey 321,016 350,999 57,453 19.6 
			 Central Cheshire 292,951 322,527 53,963 20.1 
			 Central Liverpool 418,642 457,809 75,054 19.6 
			 Cheshire West 196,578 215,305 35,034 19.4 
			 Eastern Cheshire 229,873 248,604 35,883 16.9 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 107,271 116,811 17,700 17.9 
			 Halton 172,678 187,634 29,149 18.4 
			 Knowsley 243,375 268,697 53,958 25.1 
			 North Liverpool 173,387 191,147 34,969 22.4 
			 South Liverpool 141,193 154,399 25,309 19.6 
			 South Sefton 227,817 249,358 40,444 19.4 
			 Southport and Formby 161,841 175,035 25,382 17.0 
			 St. Helens 262,020 286,542 47,175 19.7 
			 Warrington 237,103 259,050 42,332 19.5

Chief Executive Officers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which chief executive officers left their position in (a) an NHS trust and (b) a strategic health authority in the last three years; whether the individual was subsequently employed within (i) the NHS and (ii) the Department in each case; and what job was taken up.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 January 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Child Abuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to ensure that the number of doctors and nurses taking the professional lead in protecting children from abuse and neglect in their area does not fall following the merger of primary care trusts.

Liam Byrne: Any merger of primary care trusts (PCTs) will not affect their duties in ensuring that staff, and staff in services contracted by PCTs, are trained to be alert to potential indicators of abuse and neglect in children, know how to act on their concerns and fulfil their responsibilities in line with their local safeguarding children board procedures. PCTs should ensure establishment levels of designated professionals are proportionate to the local resident population and the complexity of provider arrangements. This is a matter for local decision.

Child Protection

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) general practitioners and (b) staff employed by general practitioners are permitted to work if they are included on the Protection of Children Act list.

Liam Byrne: A general practitioner or any member of staff employed by a general practitioner, who was identified as being included on the Protection of Children Act list, would not be permitted to work in any child-care position within the meaning of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

Cross-border Health Provision

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place for cross-border health provision between England and Wales.

Liam Byrne: The Department, in collaboration with the Welsh Assembly Government, issued guidance establishing interim arrangements in February 2005.
	The interim arrangements recognise that the legal responsibility for patients rests with the commissioner where the patient is resident but for named commissioners on both sides of the border, the operational responsibility rests with the commissioner responsible for the general practitioner with whom the patient is registered.
	The Department and Welsh Assembly Government have established a steering group to oversee the development of policy and guidance for cross border issues and in addition have prepared a procedure for resolving disputes that may arise about the interpretation of the guidance. The interim arrangements will continue for 200607, targeting April 2007 for full implementation of the responsible commissioner policy.

Day Surgery

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her latest estimate is of the number of in-patient procedures which could be performed as day surgery; and what savings she estimates would have resulted from such a reconfiguration of services in the latest year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Data on elective general and acute admissions and day case rates are published in the Chief Executive's Report to the NHS, Statistical SupplementDecember 2005. The statistical supplement is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/43/03/04124303.pdf.
	No specific mechanism has been set up to estimate the information requested. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, we know from studies commissioned by local national health service trusts and other interested organisations that the benefits of switching patients to day case surgery are likely to outweigh the costs of implementing such a change of services.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is proposing to take to ensure that primary care trusts (PCTs) provide a minimum level of dental provision in three years' time when changes to PCTs' control over their budgets are introduced.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) will continue to have a duty under section 16CA(1) of the National Health Service Act 1977 to provide primary dental services to the extent considered necessary to meet all treasonable requirements in their area.
	The Department has indicated that the ring-fencing arrangements for funding primary dental services that apply for the period 200607 to 200809 will be reviewed towards the end of that period.

Dentistry

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of free dental care for children (a) in England and (b) within Buckingham constituency.

Rosie Winterton: All children aged under 18 are exempt from charges for national health service dental treatment. As at 30 September 2005, an estimated 59 per cent. of the child population for England and an estimated 52 per cent. of the child population in Vale of Aylesbury primary care trust were registered with an NHS dentist. The Department does not collect data centrally on the numbers of additional patients seeking NHS treatment.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of dental access centres operating under personal dental services pilots following the reforms to NHS dentistry to come into force from April 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The reform of national health service dentistry will enable primary care trusts (PCTs) to develop more integrated commissioning strategies for primary dental care, including dental access centres (DACs).
	The funding for DACs will now be included in the relevant PCTs' developed budgets for dentistry, which will enable PCTs to continue to commission these services on a substantive basis. It will be for PCTs to decide how local services, including DACs, should develop to meet local needs and service priorities.

Dentistry

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to ensure patient access to NHS dentists.

Rosie Winterton: Since 200304, the Department has invested an additional 250 million in national health service dentistry and has supported the NHS in recruiting the equivalent of an extra 1,459 dentists to improve patient access. The Government are also funding an additional 170 training places per year from 2005.
	From April 2006, the NHS will be implementing major reforms to dentistry to build upon this success. New contracts for dentists will abolish the fee per item remuneration system and support new ways of working with a greater focus on preventative care. Evidence from personal dental services pilot schemes is that these new ways of working free up significant capacity that dentists can then use in part to see a greater range of patients.
	From April 2006, primary care trusts (PCTs) will also have devolved responsibility and ring-fenced budgets for commissioning primary dental services. This means that, if a dentist leaves the NHS or reduces their NHS commitment, the resources stay with the PCT to be re-invested in local dental services.

Dentistry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients opted out of NHS dentistry treatment in (a) 200405 and (b) each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Dentistry

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of its reforms to NHS dentistry for the most socially disadvantaged on improving access to NHS dental care.

Rosie Winterton: No specific assessment has been made of the impact of the dentistry reforms on access for the most socially disadvantaged. The reforms are designed to support primary care trusts and dentists in improving access to national health service dentistry for all groups of patients.

Dentistry

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Hereford constituency have been removed from NHS dentists' registers since 2002; and what percentage of people in the constituency are registered with an NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, information relating to patient registrations in Herefordshire is shown in the table.
	
		Active patient registrationsHerefordshire
		
			  Number/rate 
		
		
			 Patients under 18 years  
			 Patients under 18 years of age 25,683 
			 Take up rate per 100 local population 67.84 
			   
			 Patients 18 years and over  
			 Patients 18 years and over 53,415 
			 Take-up rate per 100 local population 38.41 
			   
			 All patients  
			 All patients 79,098 
			 Take up rate per 100 local population 44.71 
		
	
	Notes:
	All figures are from September 2005
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, columns 57576W, on dentistry, how many of the 69 NHS dentists with general dental service or personal dental service contracts within Hereford constituency are accepting new patients on to their NHS lists.

Rosie Winterton: The data regarding the number of dentists admitting new national health service patients is not available centrally. This can be obtained directly from the primary care trusts concerned.

Dentistry

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in Manchester, Withington have started carrying out NHS work since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Within the Manchester, Withington constituency, two dental surgeries have opened a new national health service general dental services or personal dental services contract between September 1997 and September 2005.

Dentistry

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists are in practice in Leicestershire.

Rosie Winterton: As at 30 September 2005, there were 579 national health service dentists with a general dental services or personal dental services contract within the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland strategic health authority area.

Dentistry

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists the NHS needs to recruit in order to meet Government targets.

Rosie Winterton: The Department and the national health service last year exceeded the target of recruiting an extra 1,000 dentists. Between April 2004 and October 2005, the equivalent of an extra 1,459 whole time NHS dentists were recruited. There are no outstanding targets for NHS dental recruitment.

Departmental Finance

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the Department expects to be rolled forward into the next financial year as a result of delayed payment of pay as you earn tax and national insurance contributions by each strategic health authority and primary care trust in the 200506 financial year;
	(2)  what advice the Department has issued to strategic health authorities on the use of delayed payment of pay as you earn tax and national insurance contributions as a form of cash management; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  which (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts have discussed the use of delayed payment of pay as you earn tax and national insurance contributions as a form of cash management for the current financial year with the Department.

Liam Byrne: The Department's policy is that all national health service organisations should ensure that payments of pay as you earn tax and National Insurance contributions are made when they are due, unless there is a specific agreement not to do so with the Inland Revenue. The issue has been discussed with all strategic health authorities and they have been reminded of the Department's policy. Where it has come to our attention that organisations are making specific proposals to delay payment we have reminded them of the policy.

Drug Treatment

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on training of general practitioners in dealing with substance misuse in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: It is not possible to identify the amount of mainstream funding or local pooled treatment budget money used specifically for the support and training of general practitioners in dealing with substance misuse. However, since 2001 the Department has funded a national primary care certificate course for substance misuse, which is delivered by the Royal College of General Practitioners. This funding has amounted to as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 1.8 
			 200203 1.2 
			 200305 0.7 
			 200506 1.5

European Medicines Evaluation Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the consultation process on the mechanisms of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency to report.

Jane Kennedy: The European Medicines Evaluation Agency's consultation into the mechanisms for dealing with applications submitted under the accelerated assessment procedure (Ref. EMEA/419127/2005) ends on 10 February 2006.

Finnamore Consultants

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have employed Finnamore Consultants to advise them on measures to address potential financial deficits in 200506; what assessment she has made of the (a) practicality and (b) relevance of their recommendations; and what the cost was in each case.

Liam Byrne: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities (SHAs) to deliver overall financial balance for their local health communities, and to ensure each and every body achieves financial balance. SHAs determine the support needed for their organisations to achieve this objective.
	We do not hold records of the number of national health service trusts that have employed Finnamore Consultants.

Folic Acid

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment her Department has made of the effects on women of child bearing age of folic acid supplementation in protecting against babies being born with neural tube defects.

Caroline Flint: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently considering the scientific evidence of folate and disease prevention. A full report is expected to be published in the spring of 2006.

Government Shift Programme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding she has allocated to the Government Shift programme for 200607; and how much money has been allocated to this programme since 2004.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 January 2006
	The service increment for teaching supports the cost to health care providers of providing a clinical setting for medical and dental undergraduate training. Budgets for 200607 have not been set yet. Funding for 200405 and 200506 is shown in the following table.
	
		
		
			  Funding 
		
		
			 200405 733,196,000 
			 200506 803,654,000

Haemodynamic Optimisation

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in England use haemodynamic optimisation.

Liam Byrne: We do not collect this information centrally.
	All hospitals will have a variety of haemodynamic monitoring equipment available, invasive or non-invasive, to monitor haemodynamic status of the patients. This will in turn provide the information clinicians require to optimize medical treatment for a variety of medical conditions.

Head Lice

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the incidence of head lice in schools in each local authority area in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what resources she has made available to each local education authority area in 200506 to reduce the incidence of head lice; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what mechanisms exist to monitor the incidence of head lice in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information on the incidence of head lice infestation is not collected centrally. Head lice infestations depend upon head-to-head contact, which is relatively common among younger school-age children while working together, or playing at school. Our policy, which is shared by the Department for Education and Skills, is to encourage a whole school approach. This entails encouraging parents to check their children and other family members for head lice as the need arises, and arranging treatment where necessary, with advice and support from the local primary health care team (general practitioner, health visitor, school nurse or local pharmacist).
	If this exercise is undertaken at the same time by families with children attending a school, then the spread of head lice will be arrested. Primary health care teams are resourced to support this activity. The Department has provided a leaflet containing guidance on the prevention and treatment of head lice. This promotes the benefits of identifying and arranging treatment, where needed, on a day which schools may determine. The leaflet is available in hard copy and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/63/47/04116347.pdf.

Health Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of expenditure will be committed to support (a) the improvements to alcohol treatment provision announced on 1 November and (b) the provision of health trainers announced on 11 August by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health; how much expenditure there has been on each programme; and whether the expenditure is financed from the Centrally Funded Initiatives and Services and Special Allocations budget of her Department in each case.

Caroline Flint: We now have 78 partnerships in the early adopter phase of health trainers, prison sites in each region, the army and Initial cleaning company.
	A breakdown of where the money has been spent and cost centres is shown in the table.
	
		National health service health trainers provision and expenditure --  million
		
			  Year to date Provision Future provision 
			  200506 200506 200607 200708 
		
		
			 Securing health care for those who need it 4.905 5.00   
			 PCT Allocations   36.00 77.00 
			 Securing social care and child protection for those who need it and,  at national level, protecting, promoting and improving the nation's health 0.346 2.20 2.0 2.0

Hearing Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on (a) waiting lists and (b) waiting times for digital hearing aids of the introduction of programmes to expand their availability; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Several initiatives have been introduced to improve capacity to deliver audiology services. These are the national framework contract public private partnership to bring in additional independent sector capacity, the development of a new degree to help to address the shortage of audiologists and the introduction of Hearing Direct which is follow-up care and advice for hearing aid users who would benefit from this.
	The figures on waiting times for digital hearing aids are not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.

Hospitals

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of patients required for a hospital to remain viable.

Liam Byrne: The configuration of services, including the viability of individual hospitals is a matter for the national health service locally. No specific assessment has been made centrally.

Hospitals

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to prevent hospitals spending money on advertising for patients.

Liam Byrne: With the introduction of patient choice and payment by results, it is important that patients are aware of the services and options available to them. Therefore, a small amount of advertising is in the interests of both patients and hospitals. The Department is developing guidelines, to ensure that any public communications are not only honest and accurate, but also appropriate. These guidelines, together with the payment tariff set by payment by results, should deter inappropriate expenditure on advertising.

Housing Development

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on the (a) demand for and (b) cost of the social care facilities arising from the planned expansion of housing in Aylesbury Vale.

Liam Byrne: No formal discussions have taken place at ministerial level.
	Now that the sub regional strategy is finalised, it is being taken forward by local partners. The local delivery vehicle for Aylesbury (Aylesbury Vale Advantage) will be looking at the infrastructure requirements associated with growth at a detailed level and will be working with relevant agencies as part of this process.

Illegal Drug Use

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to reduce the number of deaths from illegal drug use.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 23 January 2006
	In November 2001, the Government set a target to reduce the number of drug-related deaths by 20 per cent. by 2004 in England and Wales as part of an action plan to reduce drug-related deaths. Progress against the target is calculated against a 1999 Office for National Statistics (ONS) baseline. The latest ONS data available are for 2003, which show that drug-related deaths have declined for three consecutive years.
	Since the action plan was published, the Department has focused efforts on improving the surveillance and monitoring of drug use; improving access to and consistency of prescribing treatment; and guidance to commissioners and providers of treatment and to users on limiting the risk of overdose.
	Accessible information and support is available to young people and their families on the risks associated with drug misuse through the innovative Frank campaign. We are also getting more people in to drug treatment than ever before and this will be boosted by the increase of funding for drug action teams, which will continue to take forward the positive progress we are already making.

Infection Control

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the research commissioned by her Department on the number of single rooms needed for effective infection control will be published; and if she will place a copy in the Library;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of single rooms needed in hospital settings for the effective control of (a) hospital acquired infections and (b) future outbreaks of an influenza pandemic; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 26 January 2006
	Leeds General Infirmary and the University of Leeds are carrying out the following research project:
	What is the size and nature of the current need for single room isolation in hospital, and how does success or failure to isolate patients affect the control of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)?
	The project is due to finish shortly and we expect to publish a report in the summer. A copy will be placed in the Library.
	The research project will help us assess requirements for controlling hospital acquired infections. During an influenza pandemic it is likely that patients would be cohorted rather than kept in isolation.

Intensive Care Costs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average daily cost of an (a) intensive care and (b) high dependency bed is in West Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: The average cost of an occupied bed day in a discrete critical care unit is available in the annual reference costs publication.
	The national schedule of reference costs for 2004, the latest year available, shows that for activity undertaken at Southport and Ormskirk national health service trust in England, the costs of an occupied bed day in different types of discrete critical care units is shown in the following table.
	
		Average cost per occupied bed day
		
			 Unit type  
		
		
			 Intensive therapy unit/intensive care unit 1,081 
			 Spinal injuries intensive care unit 672 
		
	
	A copy of the reference costs publication is available in the Library.

Mental Health Services

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has set a target for reducing the referrals to specialist child and adolescent mental health services in children's fund areas.

Liam Byrne: We are committed to ensuring access to mental health services for all children and young people who need them. The Department has a public service agreement target to ensure access to a comprehensive child and adolescent mental health service by the end of 2006.

Mental Health Services

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for patients in Easington constituency to see (a) a consultant psychiatrist and (b) a psychologist were in each year since 2002.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Waiting times for first out-patient appointment following general practitioner (GP) written referral, September 2002 to September 2005, provider based -- Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first out-patient attendance (weeks)
		
			 Quarter (September)  Code  Name  0 to 4  4 to 13  13 to 17  17 to 21  21 plus Median wait (weeks) 
		
		
			 2002 RTC County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust 243 163 12 7 24 3.7 
			 2003 RTC County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust 194 69 0 0 0 2.7 
			 2004 RTC County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 n/a 
			 2005 RTC County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 n/a 
			  
			 2002 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 262 203 15 3 2 3.7 
			 2003 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 257 259 2 1 0 4.1 
			 2004 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 222 170 0 0 0 3.5 
			 2005 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 215 184 1 0 0 3.7 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	Notes:
	Data for specialties
	710 Mental Illness
	711 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
	712 Forensic Psychiatry
	713 Psychotherapy
	715 Old Age Psychiatry
	1. Due to small numbers, the calculation of the median wait is prone to fluctuation. Care should be taken when interpreting these figures.
	2. Waiting times apply to consultant-led appointments only. Services in many areas are now run by multi disciplinary teams.
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08.

Mortality Rates

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on hospitals' publication of mortality rates.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State supports the publication of information that helps to raise awareness, improve quality and informs patient choice. Where relevant and appropriate, mortality statistics may be published locally, while taking care to safeguard patient confidentiality. Such information should be independently verifiable.

Multiple Sclerosis

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people with multiple sclerosis are awaiting (a) assessment to determine eligibility for treatment with and (b) prescription for disease modifying therapies following a successful eligibility assessment in each primary care trust;
	(2)  what the average waiting time for people with multiple sclerosis between eligibility assessment for treatment using disease modifying therapies, and prescription of the drugs was in each primary care trust in 200405;
	(3)  how many people with multiple sclerosis are receiving disease modifying therapies in each primary care trust (PCT); and how much prescription of these treatments cost each PCT in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Muscular Dystrophy

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received about the provision of electric wheelchairs for people with muscular dystrophy; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people with muscular dystrophy live in (a) Guildford, (b) Waverley and (c) Surrey.

Liam Byrne: The Department received a letter on 22 July 2004 regarding the provision of electric wheelchairs for people with muscular dystrophy. I have not received any further representations about this issue.
	The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Contracts (Ofcom Review)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Department is making in meeting the Ofcom recommendation for a review of contracts in the NHS for Patientline and Premier.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the right hon. Member to the ministerial statement made on 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 33WS.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to her statement of 15 November 22005, Official Report, column 849, on NHS finance, if she will publish the analysis from which her statement was derived, with the cost increase between 19992000 and 200405 broken down by (a) medical secretaries, (b) record keepers, (c) health educators, (d) IT technicians, (e) financial managers, (f) caterers, (g) launderers, (h) cleaners and (i) all other staff; and what proportion of the total NHS budget was spent on administrative staff, as defined in her statement, in (i) 19992000 and (ii) 200405.

Liam Byrne: Information on cost increases for the specific staff categories requested is not collected centrally.
	The analysis of administration as a proportion of the total national health service budget calculated to 200304 is shown in the table.
	
		000
		
			  19992000 200304 
		
		
			 Administration spend 2,158,000 3,345,000 
			 Total NHS spend 40,201,000 63,001,000 
			 Administration as percentage of NHS spend 5.4 5.3 
		
	
	Administration spend includes administration costs in health authorities and primary care trusts and management costs in NHS trusts 1 .
	NHS Administration Cost figures for 20045 are not directly comparable due to a change in collection methods 2 .
	Sources:
	1 Audited summarisation schedules of health authorities, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts for 19992000 and 200304 as appropriate. 2 Admin and Clerical figures from Admin and Estates Staffing Costs (cash terms).
	
		
			  200405 ( million) 
		
		
			 Administration spend 3,412 
			 Total NHS spend 69,706 
			 Administration as percentage of NHS spend 4.9

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 849, on NHS finance, if she will provide details on how she calculates administrative costs.

Liam Byrne: National health service administration costs were collected centrally from annual accounts returns reported by the NHS. NHS administration cost expenditure was not collected prior to 199697 or post 200304 in this manner. From 200405, NHS administration costs are calculated using administrative and clerical figures from the administration and estates staff costs (cash terms). These figures are not directly comparable.
	These figures do not contain NHS foundation trusts (NHSFTs), who report management costs separately to Monitor, the independent regulator for NHSFTs, using the Department's management costs guidance as best practice.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total (a) strategic health authority, (b) NHS trust and (c) primary care trust revenue expenditure was in each year since 1997; how much was accounted for by (i) salaries and wages, (ii) supplies and services-general, (iii) supplies and services-clinical, (iv) establishment expenses, (v) premises and fixed plant, (vi) cost of use of capital assets, (vii) purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies, (viii) external contract staff and (ix) all other major cost areas in each year; and what assessment she has made of how these expenditure streams may develop in the years until 2010.

Liam Byrne: The requested information from 199798 to 200405 is shown in the table. Information is not available up to 2010.
	
		National health service expenditure 1997 to 2005 -- 000
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 
		
		
			 Strategic health authorities (SHAs)
			 Salaries and wages 409,346 428,343 519,520 596,121 
			 Supplies and services-general 2,508 2,560 3,254 2,841 
			 Supplies and services-clinical 7,197 11,375 15,270 13,030 
			 Establishment expenses 57,972 60,787 63,511 76,313 
			 Premises and fixed plant 83,458 88,981 88,683 120,205 
			 Cost of use of capital assets 119,520 74,077 139,756 -41,176 
			 Purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies 985,746 1,108,472 1,166,413 1,328,208 
			 External contract staff and consultancy 24,838 28,537 35,056 42,097 
			 Other expenditure 319,989 586,681 1,222,185 1,447,268 
			  
			 Total revenue expenditure 2,010,574 2,389,813 3,253,648 3,584,907 
			  
			 Primary care trusts (PCTs)
			 Salaries and wages121,682 
			 Supplies and services-general3,792 
			 Supplies and services-clinical45,183 
			 Establishment expenses11,994 
			 Premises and fixed plant13,137 
			 Cost of use of capital assets5,112 
			 Purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies33,742 
			 External contract staff and consultancy916 
			 Other expenditure22,775 
			  
			 Total revenue expenditure258,333 
			  
			 NHS trusts 
			 Salaries and wages 15,689,601 16,652,762 18,188,706 19,811,609 
			 Supplies and services-general 631,812 703,501 752,143 796,346 
			 Supplies and services-clinical 2,841,335 3,145,624 3,418,190 3,826,004 
			 Establishment expenses 811,493 843,828 892,723 990,416 
			 Premises and fixed plant 1,476,264 1,468,014 1,460,136 1,646,767 
			 Cost of use of capital assets 945,639 998,614 2,301,450 1,160,915 
			 Purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies 122,436 121,954 134,784 187,190 
			 External contract staff and consultancy 110,722 93,072 93,304 105,853 
			 Other expenditure 689,014 1,330,337 1,808,515 1,632,415 
			  
			 Total revenue expenditure 23,318,316 25,357,706 29,049,951 30,157,515 
		
	
	
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Strategic health authorities (SHAs)
			 Salaries and wages 603,852 178,475 161,000 203,494 
			 Supplies and services-general 6,900 1,782 582 696 
			 Supplies and services-clinical 20,421 1,298 1,050 909 
			 Establishment expenses 83,313 21,866 20,604 23,863 
			 Premises and fixed plant 114,419 43,186 31,970 30,471 
			 Cost of use of capital assets -36,230 4,003 5,193 2,766 
			 Purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies 1,136,793 27,234 3,329 0 
			 External contract staff and consultancy 66,855 19,648 17,278 15,620 
			 Other expenditure 1,497,339 2,908,293 3,255,278 3,446,986 
			  
			 Total revenue expenditure 3,493,662 3,205,785 3,496,284 3,724,805 
			  
			 Primary care trusts (PCTs)
			 Salaries and wages 1,487,000 4,365,127 4,845,299 5,750,413 
			 Supplies and services-general 51,895 157,033 146,496 124,285 
			 Supplies and services-clinical 143,798 348,936 357,501 325,803 
			 Establishment expenses 115,116 348,622 407,454 425,876 
			 Premises and fixed plant 105,079 354,216 392,468 397,066 
			 Cost of use of capital assets 82,767 216,755 231,932 252,550 
			 Purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies 409,936 1,184,372 2,903,763 3,353,036 
			 External contract staff and consultancy 16,090 59,154 53,101 55,925 
			 Other expenditure 251,268 2,043,987 764,705 630,036 
			  
			 Total revenue expenditure 2,662,949 9,078,202 10,102,719 11,314,990 
			  
			 NHS trusts 
			 Salaries and wages 21,120,826 21,368,230 23,553,819 24,020,430 
			 Supplies and services-general 814,984 785,673 832,940 661,264 
			 Supplies and services-clinical 4,141,182 4,463,604 4,966,667 3,911,597 
			 Establishment expenses 996,554 926,965 978,122 868,706 
			 Premises and fixed plant 1,644,660 1,534,385 1,553,125 1,433,187 
			 Cost of use of capital assets 1,171,855 1,320,214 1,379,788 1,321,260 
			 Purchase of health care from non-NHS bodies 246,239 338,172 408,800 312,988 
			 External contract staff and consultancy 125,948 149,438 157,425 135,150 
			 Other expenditure 810,494 1,065,124 997,102 754,939 
			  
			 Total revenue expenditure 31,072,742 31,951,805 34,827,788 33,419,521 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data from financial returns. Although data is not audited, it is reconciled to figures in the audited accounts.
	2. 200405 NHS trust figures do not contain NHS foundation trusts.
	3. 200405 data is still subject to amendment, although significant changes are unlikely.
	4. 200405 financial returns data has been used to answer parliamentary questions.

NHS Finance

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the incremental funding available to the NHS since 1997 has been spent on (a) higher wages, (b) shorter working hours, (c) administrative costs including contractors, consultants and external legal expenses and (d) incremental medical services provided to patients.

Liam Byrne: The table gives details of the attribution of additional resources spent across the national health service since 1997.
	
		
			  Cash accounting increase 199798 to 200001 Stage two resource accounting increase 200001 to 200405 
		
		
			 Real increase in total NHS DEL(43) ( billion) 7.6 20.0 
			
			 Apportionment of Increase:   
			 Staff and pay(44)(45) (Percentage) 47 53 
			 Of which:   
			 Higher wages (Percentage) 33 29 
			 Additional staff (Percentage) 13 23 
			
			 Drugs (Percentage) 17 13 
			 Others(46) (Percentage) 36 34 
		
	
	(43) Figures calculated in 200405 prices by applying Gross Domestic Product deflator.
	(44) From 200304 onwards, the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for the Department was increased by a switch from the exchequers annually managed expenditure spending to cover the increased costs of pensions. An addition of 1.6 billion was made to the NHS DEL to cover these costs from 200304 onwards. While this change affected the overall level of NHS Expenditure, they did not increase or decrease the spending power of the NHS. It is cost neutral. For purpose of comparability, the extra expenditure has been stripped out of pay and included in others.
	(45) Pay has been estimated by combining NHS Accounts information, accounts data for foundation trusts from Monitor, and general medical practice data based on latest information on the new general practitioner contract. Increases in staff are based on census returns, the proportion of extra funds to new staff and pay is based annual comparison of growth in pay bill with growth in NHS staff numbers (weighted by pay).
	(46) Examples of other incremental expenditure include: buildings, equipment, training, research and development, supplies of services.
	Note:
	This analysis may not be directly comparable to previously published analyses due to revisions to forecasts, estimates and GDP deflators.

NHS Finance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) surpluses and (b) deficits have been of each of the (i) trust and (ii) foundation hospitals in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The information on the financial positions of strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and national health service trusts for 199798 to 200405 is available in the Library.
	The forecast outturn position for 200506, as submitted by NHS organisations at the mid-year point (month six), is also available in the Library and in addition, is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/FreedomOf Information/ClassesOfInformation/fs/en.
	With reference to NHS foundation trusts (NHS FTs), I am advised by the Chairman of Monitor that the Review and Consolidated Accounts of NHS FTs 200405 were laid before Parliament on 22 November 2005. These set out the financial performance of each of the 25 NHS FTs in operation during the 200405 financial year, the first year in which NHS FTs operated.
	I am further advised, that Monitor published its half-yearly update on the performance of NHS FTs on 16 December 2005. Both the review for 200405 and the half-yearly update is available on Monitor's website at: www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2006, Official Report, column 732W, on NHS finance, if she will list the 63 NHS organisations which are forecasting the most significant deficits; and what the (a) latest in-year deficit and (b) forecast year-end deficit is in each case.

Liam Byrne: The national health service organisations that are forecasting significant deficits at month six of 200506 were subject to the first phase of the turnaround teams' baseline assessment. A report on the work of the turnaround teams, which lists these organisations, is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/71/88/04127188.pdf.
	The forecast outturn position for 200506, as submitted by NHS organisations at the mid-year point (month six), is a net deficit of around 620 million. The 200506 month six forecast outturn position for individual NHS organisations (strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts) is also available on the Department's website, and can be accessed at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/FreedomOfInformation/ClassesOfInformation/fs/en
	Copies of this information are available in the Library.

NHS Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to deal with the NHS trusts that are unable to contain their financial deficits; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities (SHAs) to deliver overall financial balance for their local health communities, and to ensure each and every body achieves financial balance. SHAs determine the support needed for their organisations to achieve this objective.
	To help restore financial balance in the national health service, in December 2005, turnaround teams were appointed. The turnaround teams will work with SHAs, individual primary care trusts and NHS trusts. Their focus will be on organisations that are forecasting the largest deficits for the current financial year.
	Turnaround teams will help to ensure NHS organisations deliver efficiency and quality improvement needed to achieve financial balance and better care for patients.

NHS Managers

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS managers were clinicians in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the percentage of national health service managers who also had a clinical qualification in each of the last 10 years.
	
		Percentage of managers with a clinical qualification, England
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1995 47.4 
			 1996 47.8 
			 1997 47.2 
			 1998 47.1 
			 1999 45.4 
			 2000 45.8 
			 2001 46.0 
			 2002 42.5 
			 2003 46.0 
			 2004 50.2

NHS Staff Costs

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the increase in NHS funding has been spent on staff costs in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Total (England) increased expenditure on staff costs, shown as a percentage of the increase in total national health service expenditure
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 199798 31.1 
			 199899 50.5 
			 19992000 45.3 
			 200001 48.9 
			 200102 52.7 
			 200203 53.0 
			 200304 29.7 
			 200405 21.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Returns for 200304 from NHS bodies excluded the increase in NHS employers' pension contributions from 7 per cent. to 14 per cent. of pensionable pay. This was paid directly to the NHS Pensions Agency by the Department of Health.
	2. Expenditure in NHS foundation trusts is not included within returns provided to the Department of Health. The 200405 figures therefore exclude all NHS foundation trusts data and are not consistent with the previous figures in the table.
	Sources:
	Annual financial returns of the health authorities 199798 to 200102
	Annual financial returns of the strategic health authorities 200203 to 200405
	Annual financial returns of the primary care trusts 200001 to 200405
	Annual financial returns of the NHS trusts 199798 to 200405

Obesity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will launch the planned cross-Government campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of obesity and the steps people can take through diet and physical activity to prevent it; what discussions she has had with external stakeholders regarding the design of the campaign; when these discussions took place; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The social marketing programme will be launched in the autumn of 2006. Its focus will be on providing the general public with the necessary information and support to lead healthier lifestyles in relation to diet and physical activity. In developing this activity, discussions have taken place with a broad range of stakeholders across Government, the non-governmental organisations sector and relevant industries over the past six months. These meetings have included bilateral discussions and a larger scale summit held in December. Development work has focused on understanding the behaviours and attitudes of people at highest risk of obesity and exploring how stakeholders can contribute to the development and implementation of the programme.

Obesity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2716W, on obesity, how rates of childhood obesity are calculated; whether this will change following publication of her Department's guidance on measuring childhood obesity on 11 January 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Calculation of the rate of childhood obesity for measuring obesity prevalence in the Department are based on United Kingdom national body mass index (BMI) percentile classification. This defines children as overweight and obese if their BMI falls above the 85th and 95th centile, respectively, of the reference curve for their age and gender. This methodology is used by both the Health Survey of England and is outlined in the guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) on calculating local childhood obesity prevalence. There are no plans to change this following publication of the Department's guidance on measuring childhood obesity on 11 January 2006.
	Recent guidance on measuring childhood obesity provides advice to PCTs on how to measure the height and weight of children in reception year (four to five years) and year 6 (10 to 11 years). This local data on childhood obesity will help inform local planning, targeting of local resources and interventions and enable tracking of local progress against the childhood obesity public service agreement target.

Ophthalmic Services

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS organisations were invited to submit proposals for mobile clinics for cataract operations.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 October 2005
	Any organisation, including national health service organisations, could have expressed an interest in the advertisement published in the Official Journal of the European Union advertisement in 2003 and submitted a pre-qualification questionnaire. No NHS organisations responded to these stages of the procurement.

Ophthalmic Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of ophthalmic services in Wolverhampton.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 30 January 2006
	It is the responsibility of the Wolverhampton city primary care trust to ensure that appropriate services are commissioned to meet the needs of its local population.
	The Birmingham and the Black Country strategic health authority reports that the Royal Wolverhampton hospitals national health service trust intends to relocate ophthalmic services from the Wolverhampton eye infirmary to new facilities in the New Cross hospital. This follows a formal period of public consultation which concluded in December 2004.

Paediatric Continence Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action she plans to take to promote the development of integrated paediatric continence services in every primary care trust;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effects of integrated continence services to children with persistent bladder and bowel problems.

Liam Byrne: Primary care trusts will be assessed increasingly against the standards identified in the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services, and their progress toward meeting these standards, including standard six, which recommends integrated paediatric continence services. This is in line with our assessment that integrated community-based paediatric continence services, informed by our previous guidance, Good Practice in Paediatric Continence Services, can help children with incontinence problems and their parents or carers to access care and treatment more easily. The guidance is available on the Department's website at: www. cgsupport.nhs.uk/PDFs/articles/good_practice_ paediatric_continence_services.pdf.

Parkinson's Disease

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) others about the provision of funding for Parkinson's disease nurse specialists; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the levels of funding required for Parkinson's disease nurse specialists; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: We have made no assessment on the levels of funding required for Parkinson's disease nurse specialists, nor have we had recent discussions on the provision of such nurses.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to provide services for those living with Parkinson's disease. This may include the provision of Parkinson's disease nurse specialists.

Parkinson's Disease

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to increase the quality of treatment available for those suffering from Parkinson's disease in Bedfordshire; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions focuses on improving services for people with neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. People with these conditions will get faster diagnosis, more rapid treatment and a comprehensive package of care under the NSF, both nationally and in Bedfordshire.

Parkinson's Disease

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Parkinson's disease specialist nurses there have been in Bedfordshire in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Patientline Contract

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 226W, on the Patientline Contract, what monitoring her Department has carried out on the (a) pricing policies and (b) profits of Patientline.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 30 January 2006
	I refer the right hon. Member to the ministerial statement made on 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 33WS.
	Patientline is contracted by national health service trusts to supply a service for patients. The detail of and the performance against the contact is a matter for the trusts.

Plagiocephaly

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department has provided to parents on positional plagiocephaly.

Liam Byrne: The Department's guidance to parents on the first five years of their child's life, 'Birth to five' advises parents to enable their babies to experience a range of positions during waking hours. This is good for their development. Positional plagiocephaly is caused by consistent pressure applied to one part of a baby's skull over a period of time, typically while sleeping in one position. This is commonly remedied by encouraging the baby to adopt different postures while awake.

Poultry Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Food Standards Agency put in place to monitor compliance with the requirement for poultry inspection assistants appointed after 1 January to meet the new training and qualification requirements of the EU Hygiene Package.

Caroline Flint: The Official Veterinarian (OV) in the plant is responsible for checking that slaughterhouse staff appointed as poultry inspection assistants have undergone formal training and external assessment and achieved the necessary qualification awarded by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health.
	The Food Standards Agency audits OVs' compliance with their instructions.

Poultry Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many poultry slaughterhouses have indicated to her Department that they wish the Meat Hygiene Services to replace poultry inspection assistants with official poultry meat hygiene inspectors after 1 January as a result of the EU Hygiene Package as it affects poultry inspection assistants' training and qualifications.

Caroline Flint: In early November 2005, the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) surveyed all 109 licensed poultry slaughterhouses on their future intentions regarding the use of plant inspection assistants after 1 January 2006. 63 operators replied that they were using plant inspection assistants at the time.
	11 operators indicated that they were considering changing their current inspection system. Of these, three confirmed that they intended to cease using plant inspection assistants and would require MHS staff to carry out post-mortem inspection, four were considering replacing plant inspection assistants with MHS staff and one was considering using MHS staff as emergency cover for plant inspection assistants. Three were proposing to introduce plant inspection assistants at their establishment.

Poultry Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes will be made to the training and qualifications arrangements for poultry inspection assistants after 1 January following the introduction of the EU Hygiene Package.

Caroline Flint: Slaughterhouse staff appointed as poultry inspection assistants after 1 January 2006 are required to undergo formal training and pass the same examination as official auxiliaries in relation to the official controls they will actually perform.

Poultry Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Food Standards Agency has made of the public health implications of allowing transitional arrangements in the new EU Hygiene Package.

Caroline Flint: Transitional arrangements for the new European hygiene regulations cover a range of issues, including poultry meat inspection.
	In view of the more robust training requirements for plant inspection assistants (PIAs) contained in the regulations and reduced risks to food safety from British poultry meat, the Food Standards Agency's assessment of the transitional arrangements relating to PIAs is that there is no negative implication for public health.

Poultry Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether poultry inspection assistants in post prior to 1 January will be permitted to continue to inspect poultry meat without reference to the new training and qualifications framework in the new EU Hygiene Package under transitional arrangements.

Caroline Flint: Existing plant inspection assistants (PIAs), in post prior 1 January 2006, can continue to assist the Official Veterinarian unless their performance falls below the requirements of the Regulation, in which case their authorisation will be withdrawn.
	Existing PIAs are required to pass the same examination as the official auxiliaries for the tasks they are authorised to perform by 31 December 2009, end of the transitional period.

Poultry Inspections

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training poultry inspection assistants in post before 1 January were required to undergo before they were permitted to inspect poultry meat.

Caroline Flint: The training for plant inspection assistants was set out in Regulation 11 of the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (revoked on 31 December 2005). The training consisted of theoretical and practical experience of on-line post-mortem inspection under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon.
	The recommendation for theoretical training was 15 hours of instruction dependant upon the candidate's existing knowledge and the recommendation for on-line practical experience was 50 hours for the species they would be inspecting. This could vary depending on the number of species to be inspected and the previous experience of the candidate.
	The contents of the training included gross pathology, leading to detention and control of unfit meat; animal welfare; anatomy; physiology and an understanding of relevant legislation and the Meat Hygiene Service's role in its enforcement.

Prescriptions

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been prosecuted under the Health Act 1999 for wrongful claims of free prescriptions in Gravesham in each year since 2000.

Jane Kennedy: Since August 2001, a penalty charge system has been in place in respect of those falsely claming exemption to national health service pharmaceutical charges. This has resulted in a considerable increase in civil action being instigated for first time offenders with repeat offenders subsequently dealt with through criminal proceedings. Penalties are sanctioned through the civil courts as criminal prosecution of offenders would not be a cost effective way of dealing with such high volume but low-value frauds.
	Up to 31 March 2005, 160,000 penalty notices had been issued, with a further surcharge applied if the penalty charge was not settled within the given time limit. The total amount recovered up to 31 March is 2,950,000. These figures are national and are not broken down into regions as requested.

Primary Care Trusts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2166W, on primary care trusts, if she will make it her policy not to require primary care trusts to (a) outsource and (b) market test services.

Liam Byrne: There is no central requirement for primary care trusts to outsource or market test services. We want the new primary care trusts (PCTs), not the existing strategic health authorities, to decide how best to manage their new responsibilities after reconfiguration.
	If a new PCT wishes to change the provision of community services in the future, this will of course be subject to consultation before any decisions are made.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is her intention to encourage primary care trusts to reduce direct provision of services to a minimum.

Liam Byrne: It is not the intention to encourage primary care trusts to reduce direct provision of services to a minimum. The Secretary of State made this clear in her statement to Parliament on 25 October 2005, stating:
	District nurses, health visitors and other staff delivering clinical services will continue to be employed by their PCT, unless and until the PCT decides otherwise
	and
	any such decisions would be driven locally following our White Paper deliberation.
	We do not have a policy requirement or timetable for primary care trusts (PCTs) to divest themselves of provision. We will support PCTs whether or not they divest themselves of service provision, provided that what is being offered is genuinely best for local patient care.

Private Finance Initiative

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all hospitals with a private finance initiative contract, broken down by constituency; what the value is of each contract; and what the repayment costs are on each contract.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 98889W and on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1885W, which stated that detailed unitary payment (we have interpreted repayment costs to mean the unitary charges) for schemes which have reached financial close had been placed in the Library. This list has now been updated to reflect constituencies and the four private finance initiative hospital schemes which have reached financial close since then and which are over 20 million in capital value.

Purified Protein Derivative

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects Mantoux-strength purified protein derivative to receive a product licence from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Jane Kennedy: A marketing authorisation for any medicinal product, including Mantoux purified protein derivative, will be issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency if the data submitted in support of that application are considered satisfactory against the standard criteria of safety, quality and efficacy for the intended use.

Respiratory Diseases

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1864W, on respiratory diseases, what assessment she has made of the European Community respiratory health survey; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The European Community respiratory health survey is specifically designed to estimate variations in the prevalence of asthma; to estimate variations in exposures to known or suspected risk factors for asthma, and assess to what extent these variations explain the variations in the prevalence of disease; and to estimate differences in the use of medication for asthma.
	The results of this survey will prove valuable for health professionals working to identify the causes, and most effective treatments, for asthma.

Rickets

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence was of rickets in the UK in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The incidence of rickets is shown in the table. The information provided is for England only.
	
		All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes for rickets(47) national service hospitals, England 200001 to 200405
		
			  All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes 
		
		
			 200001 229 
			 200102 297 
			 200203 283 
			 200304 329 
			 200405 306 
		
	
	(47) Rickets defined as:
	Rickets, active recorded as primary or secondary diagnosis.
	Excludesrickets: coeliac, crohn's, inactive, renal, vitamin D resistant.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

School Sanitary Provision

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalties are imposed on schools failing to adhere to the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, with regard to the number of toilets and washbasins provided for pupils.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	Responsibility for applying the requirements of these regulations rests with local education authorities. There are no penalties for failure to meet these requirements, but the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has the power to direct schools and LEAs to meet the Regulations.

Special Advisers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the special advisers in post in her Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to her Department of special advisers is for 200506.

Jane Kennedy: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. For the most recent information, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 15862WS.
	Information on the numbers of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and this information will be available in the Library.
	Information relating to costs for 200506 will be published after the end of the current financial year.

Strategic Health Authorities (Board Members)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the board members of each strategic health authority who have left their position in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 January 2006
	Information about board members who have left the boards of strategic health authorities is not available centrally.
	The NHS Appointments Commission does hold information about the appointment of non-executive board members since 2001 when it was established.
	The NHS Appointments Commission have been asked to write to the hon. Member regarding this matter.

Thyroid Function Testing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce routine testing for thyroid function.

Liam Byrne: Routine testing for thyroid function is currently available at the clinical judgement of health care professionals.

Trainee Medical Staff (Financial Support)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made to financial support available to trainee NHS (a) nurses, (b) doctors, (c) midwives and (d) managers since 1997.

Liam Byrne: We developed the NHS bursary scheme for trainee nurses and midwives in its present form in 1998. Since 1999, there have been a number of additional allowances provided by the NHS bursary scheme that include re-imbursement for clinical placements, travel and accommodation costs, a childcare allowance and we have recently extended provision for maternity leave.
	Since 2002, the national health service has paid the tuition fees for students on years five and six of their pre-registration medical education programmes and years two until four of the post-graduate programme. These students may also be eligible for a means-tested NHS bursary.
	There has been no significant change to the financial support available to trainees on the national graduate management training scheme.

Velcade

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidelines to primary care trusts on the prescribing of Velcade to apply until such time as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued its guidelines; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: In 1999, the Department issued Health Service Circular 1999/176, which asks national health service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not yet been issued. These arrangements should include an assessment of the available evidence.

Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay is for patients in Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The average length of stay for patients in Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust during 200405 was 4.9 days.
	Notes:
	Finished provider spell A finished provider spell is defined as a period of in-patient care within one health care provider that commences with the patient's admission and ends on the date of discharge. It may comprise one or more finished consultant episodes (FCEs). Length of stay (duration of spell) Length of stay is calculated as the difference in days between the admission date and the discharge date, where both are given. Length of stay is based on hospital spells and only applies to ordinary admissions, that is, day cases are excluded, unless otherwise stated. Information relating to Length of stay figures, including discharge method/destination, diagnoses and any operative procedures, is based only on the final episode of the spell. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is, the data is ungrossed.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academy Schools

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list sponsors of academy schools making donations of 100,000 or more since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The sponsors of academies, which are open or in implementation, who will be making donations of 100,000 or more since 1997 are:
	Amey plc
	Sir Clive Bourne
	Corporation of London
	Roger de Haan Charitable Trust (projects with Kent County Council and with Kings School Canterbury)
	Deacon's Trust Perkins Engines
	Diocese of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool
	Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
	Dixons CTC Trust
	Bob Edmiston
	Emmanuel Schools Foundation
	Garrard Education Trust
	Greig Trust with the London Diocesean Board for Schools
	Harris Charitable Trust (and a project with The Whitgift Foundation)
	John Laycock and the University of the West of England
	Leicester Diocesan Board for Education and the Samworth Brothers
	Liverpool University and Granada Learning
	Sir Frank Lowe
	Macmillan CTC
	John Madejski
	David Meller
	The Mercers Company with Thomas Telford Online (and a project with HSBC)
	Oasis Community Learning
	Jack Petchey Foundation
	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark with the Provincial de la Salle Brothers
	Alec Reed
	Peter Shalson
	Toc H and the Church of England
	Barry Townsley
	Travis Charitable Trust
	UBS
	United Learning Trust (and projects with Manchester Science Park and Manchester Diocese)
	The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers

A-levels

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A-level points score per pupil was for 11 to 18 years schools with sixth forms containing (a) 50 or fewer, (b) 51 to 100, (c) 101 to 150, (d) 151 to 200, (e) 201 to 250 and (f) more than 250 pupils in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The average GCE/VCE A/AS point score per candidate aged 16 to 18 in school sixth forms (excluding independent schools), split by size of sixth form for 2003 to 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			 Number of pupils aged 16 to 18 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 50 or fewer 164.9 179.0 169.0 
			 51 to 100 196.2 203.0 202.1 
			 101 to 150 222.6 226.8 229.1 
			 151 to 200 255.9 261.4 256.8 
			 201 to 250 282.3 282.8 290.9 
			 250 or more 291.9 298.5 301.6 
			 Total 266.8 273.6 277.6 
		
	
	Note:
	Average point score calculations are based on A-level candidates only. The size of the sixth form has been estimated by using the total number of students aged 1618 at the school, whether they were entered for an A-level or not.

Asset Sales

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the income derived from sales of assets resulting from the tier simplification of education structures in the North East; if she will list the items sold; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We have not made any estimates of the income to local authorities from the disposal of surplus school assets resulting from the reorganisation of education structures in the North East. It is for the local authorities to determine which assets are no longer needed by schools and the community which may use them.
	The organisation of school provision is a local matter and local authorities have overall responsibility for ensuring that there are sufficient schools to meet local needs and final decisions on proposals to change the pattern of provision would normally be made by the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or schools adjudicator.
	In the North East there are three local authorities with middle schools (Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland and North Tyneside). Following approval from the schools adjudicator in April 2004 Newcastle upon Tyne LA has now completed its reorganisation of schools (3 to 2 tier) in the Outer West area. The Gosforth area will remain 3 tier. Northumberland LA has published proposals and obtained approval for a reorganisation scheme to remove some of its middle schools for implementation from 2005 onwards. We understand that North Tyneside LA has no current plans to reorganise its school structure.

Avian Influenza

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what contingency plans her Department has prepared for schools in case of a reported outbreak of avian influenza within the UK.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the earlier replies given to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1341W and my hon. Friend the Member for Bury North (Mr. Chaytor) on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 96W.

Boarding Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the terms of reference are of her Department's working group on boarding schools; and who are the members of the working group.

Jacqui Smith: The Department chairs an informal group of external partners who are assisting in exploring the potential for greater use by local authorities of boarding education provision for vulnerable children, where a careful assessment of the child's individual needs indicates that this would be beneficial. The group is focusing on designing a series of pathfinder projects with a sample of local authorities, boarding schools and representatives of educational trusts to develop and evaluate tools for identifying and assessing those children whose needs could be met by appropriate boarding provision.
	In addition to the DfES officials, the group's current membership is:
	Adrian UnderwoodNational Director, Boarding Schools' Association;
	Melvyn RoffeChairman, State Boarding Schools' Association;
	Gerri McAndrewDirector, The Frank Buttle Trust;
	Colin MorrisonChairman, Royal Wanstead Children's Foundation;
	Julie BurnsDirector, Joint Education Trust;
	Maureen PhillipsHead of Service, Looked After Children, Hertfordshire County Council; and
	Jane HeldDfES contracted consultant and researcher.

Catch-up Classes

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what subjects she proposes to provide catch-up classes as referred to on page 21 of the White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All.

Jacqui Smith: Schools are best placed to know the learning needs of their pupils and must use their own professional judgement to decide in which subjects they need to provide catch-up classes.
	We will continue through our National Strategies programme to offer advice, guidance and support to primary and secondary schools on catch-up classes in English and mathematics. In addition, we will be investing 565 million by 200708 to support the personalisation of learning in schools, focusing particularly on helping children who have fallen behind in English and mathematics, and a further 60 million in each of the next two years to provide effective one-to-one and small group tuition for the lowest attaining pupils in targeted schools.

Citizenship Curriculum

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to ensure that the citizenship curriculum includes the teaching of (a) the words of the National Anthem and (b) knowledge of the flags and patron saints of the nations of the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The flags, patron saints and the national anthem of the United Kingdom are not a separate element of the Citizenship National Curriculum. However, understanding the origins and implications of the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom is an important part of Citizenship curriculum which became statutory for 11 to 16-year-olds in September 2002. In this context pupils have the opportunity to explore the unique qualities that are part of the shared identities of the countries of the United Kingdom. They may consider the political, religious, social and constitutional systems that affect their lives and communities and that may include learning about the flags, patron saints and the national anthem. These are presently not a separate element of the Citizenship National Curriculum and there are currently no plans to change this.

Civil Servants

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of each civil service grade in her Department is located in each region of England; what the average salary is for each grade; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office has written to the hon. Member with details for the civil service of the percentage of staff in post by region and grade responsibility and the median salary of staff in post by region and grade responsibility as at 1 April 2004. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Class Sizes

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many primary school classes for five to seven-year-olds contained more than 30 pupils in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary schools(48): number and percentage of Key Stage 1 classes containing 31 or more pupils2,3 2001 to 2005Position in January each year
		
			  Key Stage 1 
			  Number of classes of 31 or more pupils Percentage of classes of 31 or more pupils 
		
		
			 2001 1,120 1.8 
			 2002 330 0.5 
			 2003 520 0.9 
			 2004 650 1.2 
			 2005 700 1.2 
		
	
	(48) Includes middles schools as deemed.
	(49) One teacher classes.
	(50) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Dental Training

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the written statement of 26 January 2006, Official Report, column 64WS, on dental training, whether the additional temporary dental training places awarded to the Newcastle Dental School in 200506 will be renewed in 200607; and what additional resources will be made available to Newcastle Dental School in (a) 200607 and (b) succeeding years to make provision for the additional students recruited in 200506.

Bill Rammell: In order to ensure that the total intake of dental students does not fall in 200607, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) intends to extend the temporary 200506 allocation of dental student numbers for a further year. The University of Newcastle was awarded 20 temporary dental student numbers for academic year 200506 and has now been offered 12 temporary dental student numbers for academic year 200607.
	The 200607 funding to be allocated to Newcastle for its additional dentistry places is subject to agreement by the HEFCE Board later this month, when overall decisions are taken about funding levels for the sector. Funding will be at the rate decided for all dental and medical students and will be announced to the university thereafter. HEFCE has undertaken to fund both the 200506 and 200607 intakes through to the completion of their studies.
	HEFCE will also make available additional capital funding to underpin the 200506 allocation of permanent dental student numbers. Existing dental schools, including Newcastle, will be invited to submit a case for funding to support the development of innovative methods of dental education.

Departmental Advertising

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the public information advertising campaigns run by her Department in the past 12 months; and how much her Department spent on (a) newspapers and (b) television advertising for those campaigns.

Maria Eagle: The following table lists spend on newspapers and television for public information advertising campaigns in the last 12 months.
	
		000
		
			 Campaign Newspaper spend Television advertising 
		
		
			 Fast Track recruitment 66 0 
			 Student Finance 318 2,418 
			 Adult Basic Skills 283 2,588 
			 Foundation Degrees 18 0 
			 Parents Centre Website 189 0 
			 Sure Start 251 0 
			 Parents Centre Website 161 0 
			 Every Child Matters 2 0 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 80 0 
			 Childcare Recruitment 271 0 
			 Total Spend 1,642 5,006

Early Interventions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on the New Approaches To Contact Early Interventions Project; and why the project was terminated.

Maria Eagle: The Government did not spend money on the NATC Early Interventions Project. The Government developed the Family Resolutions Pilot Project, which was a time-limited pilot project that ran for one year from September 2004 to September 2005. It was designed to test the value of group work and parent planning sessions in helping parents resolve their differences about contact arrangements for their children after parental separation, without recourse to the full court process.
	The pilot project ended in September 2005 and an independent evaluation, to assess its impact, is currently being prepared, which is expected to be published in March 2006. This is intended to inform decisions about how to implement lessons learned from the pilot.
	The Government invested an estimated total of 300,000 in Family Resolutions over two financial years (170,000 in 200405 and 130,000 in 200506). Final expenditure figures will not be available until end year outturn is known, in April 2006.

Education (Restriction of Employment) Regulations

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many students were reported to her Department under the Education (Restriction of Employment) Regulations 2000 by (a) teacher training colleges and (b) further education institutions in each year since 2000.
	(2)  how many teachers were reported to her Department under the Education (Restriction of Employment) Regulations 2000 in each year since 2000; and how many (a) were dismissed from teaching on the grounds of misconduct and (b) resigned in circumstances which would have led to consideration of their dismissal had they not resigned.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect the information requested in the format requested. However, figures representing the total number of referrals to the Department in each of the last five years are set out in the following table. These include both child abuse and non child abuse issues from all sources that report concerns to the Secretary of State.
	
		
			  Number of referrals from all sources 
		
		
			 2005 2,092 
			 2004 1,362 
			 2003 1,147 
			 2002 1,004 
			 2001 1,007 
			 2000 1,692

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people received education maintenance allowances in (a) Stroud constituency, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) England in each year since the inception of the scheme; and what estimate she has made of the impact of the scheme on the percentage stay-on rate for 16-year-olds;
	(2)  how many people (a) were eligible for and (b) took up education maintenance allowances in (i) Stroud constituency, (ii) Gloucestershire and (iii) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The first part of question 41530 and question 41531 are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Regarding the impact of EMA, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 1015W.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 30 January 2006
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions that asked how many people received education maintenance allowances in each year since the inception of the scheme in (a) Stroud constituency, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) England?; and how many people (a) were eligible for and (b) took up education maintenance allowances in (i) Stroud constituency, (ii) Gloucestershire and (iii) England, in the last year for which figures are available?.
	Information on the number of young people who have applied for, enrolled and received EMA is available at local education authority level, but not at constituency level. The information relates to the academic years.
	EMA was piloted in 56 areas before launching the national scheme. Gloucestershire local education authority was not a pilot area. EMA was rolled-out nationally in the academic year 2004/05. In this year, EMA was available to all 16-years-olds nationally and to 17 and 18-years-olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances).
	The following table displays data for Gloucestershire local education authority area and England.
	
		
			  Number of young people receiving at least one EMA payment 
			 Area 2001/02 (Pilot) 2002/03 (Pilot) 2003/04 (Pilot) 2004/05 (National) 
		
		
			 Gloucestershire n/a n/a n/a 2,125 
			 England (51)127,900 (51)125,600 (51)115,800 297,500 
		
	
	(51) No data is available prior to 2001/02. For 2001/022003/04, no data is available for Sunderland, East Lancashire or Suffolk. Therefore, figures for England (pilot areas) are approximate only.
	In preparation for the national roll-out, projections of the number of young people eligible for EMA were only made for 16-years-olds. The projections are formed by applying income distributions (derived from the Family Resources Survey) and expected numbers in full-time further education to the estimated population of 16-years-olds. When applied to individual localities the figures may be subject to some variation but they provide a useful estimate.
	The following table displays the data for Gloucestershire local education authority area and England.
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA by 16-years-olds in 2004/05 
			 Area Projected number eligible Actual take-up Percentage take-up 
		
		
			 Gloucestershire 2,210 2,125 96.15 
			 England 266,000 217,360 81.71 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Chris Bradley at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4512 or Christopher. Bradley@lsc.gov.uk

Education Statistics (Wandsworth)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size is in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Wandsworth.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(52): average class size2,3January 2005: Wandsworth local authority
		
			  
		
		
			 Maintained primary 25.8 
			 Maintained secondary 21.6 
		
	
	(52) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(53) One teacher classes.
	(54) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Education White Paper

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with representatives from the North East region regarding the education White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All.

Jacqui Smith: The Secretary of State has been in the north east of England on a number of occasions in recent months. She met with local MPs and councillors and among other issues she discussed the White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All. She also addressed the delegates in the North of England Conference in Gateshead on 6 January.

Education White Paper

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many representations she has received from Wales about the cross-border implications of the White Paper on Schools, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All: More Choice for Parents and Pupils.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has received over 200 representations from a wide range of organisations, Members of Parliament and members of the public which directly refer to the White Paper. We have not received any representations from Wales which specifically refer to cross border implications of the White Paper on Schools, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All: More Choice for Parents and Pupils.

Educational Attainment

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of candidates achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE, excluding BTEC First diplomas or equivalent, in each of the last six years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 24 January 2006
	The figures requested are included in the following table. BTEC First diplomas were not included in GCSE and equivalent results prior to 2004.
	
		
			 Year(55) Percentage of 15-year-olds(56) achieving 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent excluding BTEC First diplomas Percentage contribution of BTEC First diplomas to the percentage of 15-year-olds(56) achieving 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent 
		
		
			 2005(57) 56.2 0.1 
			 2004 53.7 0.0 
			 2003 52.9 0.0 
			 2002 51.6 0.0 
			 2001 50.0 0.0 
			 2000 49.2 0.0 
		
	
	(55) BTEC First diplomas were only included in GCSE results from 2004. Results only included GCSEs and GNVQs between 2000 and 2003.
	(56) The figures shown relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year (ie 31 August).
	(57) 2005 figures are revised. 2004 figures are final.

English Folk Dance and Song

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will include teaching of English folk dance and song within the national curriculum; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Within the National Curriculum Programme of Study for Physical Education there is already provision for the teaching of dances which reflect different times and cultures. The National Curriculum Programme for Study for Music states that the breadth of study should be taught through a range of music from different times and cultures which may include music from the British Isles.
	We have moved away from a prescriptive curriculum and no longer explicitly state exactly what must be taught in any subject. Indeed, we have given teachers this flexibility as they will know the best ways to address the needs of their pupils.

Excellence Centres

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  in which constituencies early excellence centres are located;
	(2)  how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time places have been available at early excellence centres in each year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: There are 107 early excellence centres (EEC) across England, of these six deliver special projects across the country and the others are based around schools and early years settings. We do not hold information on the constituencies covered by the centres. The following table lists the number of centres within each local authority.
	We do not collect information about the number of full or part-time places provided by individual centres. Centres provide a range of services including: one-stop shop activities like parent/carer drop-ins, access to adult education and training, home visiting, health visitor and therapist services, information and counselling.
	
		
			 Local authority Number of centres 
		
		
			 Bath and NE Somerset 1 
			 Bedfordshire 2 
			 Birmingham 2 
			 Blackpool 1 
			 Bolton 1 
			 Bradford 1 
			 Bristol 2 
			 Bury 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 
			 Camden 1 
			 Cornwall 2 
			 Coventry 1 
			 Croydon 1 
			 Cumbria 1 
			 Derby 1 
			 Derbyshire 1 
			 Devon 2 
			 Dorset 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 Ealing 1 
			 Gateshead 1 
			 Gloucestershire 1 
			 Greenwich 1 
			 Hackney 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 
			 Hampshire 2 
			 Haringey 1 
			 Harrow 1 
			 Herefordshire 1 
			 Hertfordshire 1 
			 Hillingdon 1 
			 Isle of Wight 2 
			 Islington 2 
			 Kent 1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 
			 Kirklees 1 
			 Lambeth 1 
			 Lancashire 2 
			 Leeds 1 
			 Lewisham 1 
			 Liverpool 1 
			 Luton 2 
			 Manchester 1 
			 Middlesbrough 1 
			 Newcastle 1 
			 Newham 1 
			 Norfolk 1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 
			 North Tyneside 1 
			 Northamptonshire 1 
			 Northumberland 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 
			 Oxfordshire 2 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Plymouth 1 
			 Portsmouth 1 
			 Reading: Norcot 1 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 1 
			 Rotherham 2 
			 Sheffield 2 
			 Somerset 2 
			 Southampton 1 
			 South Tyneside 1 
			 St. Helens 1 
			 Stockport 1 
			 Sunderland 1 
			 Surrey 1 
			 Sutton 1 
			 Swindon 1 
			 Tameside 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 
			 Wakefield 1 
			 Waltham Forest 1 
			 Warwickshire 2 
			 West Sussex 1 
			 Westminster 1 
			 Wigan 2 
			 Wiltshire 2 
			 Wirral 2 
			 Wokingham 1 
			 Wolverhampton 1 
			 Grand total 101 
		
	
	Note:
	The six special projects are not based at any particular setting.

Fire Safety

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's timetable is for bringing forward final proposals on design and managing against the risk of fire in schools.

Jacqui Smith: The draft of Building Bulletin 100, Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools, has been out to public consultation and an analysis of the responses should be completed by the end of March. Work will then commence on a final version and we expect to be able to publish this during the summer.

Free Milk

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of school age children received free milk on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

GCSE Performance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to improve the performance of pupils who attain fewer than five GCSEs or equivalent at grade A* to C.

Jacqui Smith: We have made good progress in the number of pupils getting five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grade A* to C. In 2005, 56.3 per cent. of 15- year-olds achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalenta 2.6 percentage point increase on 2004 results and an increase of 11.2 percentage points compared with 1997. Over 67,000 more pupils are now achieving at this level than did so in 1997. We have also made good progress in the percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grade A* to C including English and mathematics, which rose from 42.6 per cent. in 2004 to 44.3 per cent. in 2005. This was the biggest annual percentage point increase since 1997.
	The Department has a number of initiatives to ensure that schools receive the resources, advice and support that they need to raise attainment further at key stage 4. The key stage 3 national strategy has extended to become a full secondary national strategy for school improvement designed to raise standards, particularly in the core subjects, for all secondary school pupils. It aims to introduce excellent teaching and learning practices into every classroom through CPD, teaching materials and consultancy support. In addition, we are drawing on the expertise of successful schools and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust to work in partnership with around 400 schools underperforming in value added terms.
	The White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All published in October 2005 sets out our plans to improve standards further, particularly by providing significant new incentives for schools to tailor education to the needs of every child and focus on the basics of English and mathematics.

Head Teachers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to encourage teachers to take the National Professional Qualification for Headship.

Jacqui Smith: The NPQH is mandatory for all aspirant head teachers wishing to take up their first headship posts in LEA maintained, and non-maintained special, schools. The success of the programme is evidenced by the increasing numbers coming forward to undertake it.
	The National College for School Leadership works closely with its regional providers to target potential applicants, and advertises widely nationally and regionally during the application rounds.

Head Teachers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of headmasters who lead more than one school.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Home Tutors

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  to what regulations home tutors are subject;
	(2)  whether an individual who has been convicted of a sexual offence may work as a home tutor; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 20 January 2006
	Where an individual is barred from working with children under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 on the grounds that he or she is unsuitable to work with children, it is a criminal offence to work or seek work in any position that includes training or being in sole charge of a child or children. A person guilty of this offence is liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for up to six months and/or a fine and, on indictment, to imprisonment for up to five years and/or a fine.
	The Department would strongly advise parents to verify the credentials of any person employed to provide private tuition for a child, particularly if that person is likely to be alone with the child at any time. For example, parents could ask prospective tutors for references from a recent employer.
	The Department is fully aware that parents currently have limited access to information. The new scheme to be implemented as part of the Bichard Inquiry Recommendations will allow parents to access relevant information on people they wish to employ as home tutors.
	I made clear in my statement to the House on 12 January, we are committed to implementing Sir Michael Bichard's recommendations to tighten the system of vetting and barring people who wish to work with children and that will entail the ability for parents to check whether tutors, nannies, and other individuals whom they employ, are barred or disqualified.

Independent Schools

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total annual financial saving is to independent schools as a result of their charitable status.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	Independent schools, along with other charities, benefit from a range of tax exemptions on trading profits, rental income, investment income and business rates, as well as certain reliefs from VAT. Those registered with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are also able to reclaim Gift Aid on qualifying donations. Using Gift Aid, the charity is able to reclaim 28 pence for every 1 donated.
	It is not possible to ascertain the amount of these reliefs because HMRC records do not distinguish amounts repaid to or claimed by charities according to type of charity.

India

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department has taken to help educational establishments in the UK and India establish lasting partnerships since the 2002 New Delhi Declaration.

Bill Rammell: Last September, on a visit to Delhi, the Prime Minister announced a major 10 million initiative spread over five years, aimed at re-vitalising educational links between institutions in the UK and India. The development of sustainable, long-term partnerships between institutions will be key to the success of this initiative. My Department, together with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Council, is leading on designing the shape of the new initiative which will begin this April. This design work is continuing and I expect to be in a position to announce more details of the scheme next month.

International Students

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of international students to the UK economy;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of how many international students engaged in part-time employment during their time in the United Kingdom;
	(3)  what steps her Department is taking to encourage international students to attend UK universities.

Bill Rammell: A study commissioned by the British Council in 2004 into the Global Value of UK Education and Training Exports estimated that international students contribute some 5 billion a year to the UK economy. Since 1999, my Department has taken steps to increase the number of international students in UK higher education through the Prime Minister's Initiative (PMI). A key element of the PMI is a worldwide marketing campaign to promote the credentials of UK education overseas. We expect to launch a second phase of the PMI in April. Information on the number of international students working part-time whilst in the UK is not available.

Media Coverage

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis her Department has conducted of print and broadcast media coverage of her in the past 12 months.

Bill Rammell: The Department does not conduct analysis of media coverage of the Secretary of State.

New Secondary School (Ruislip)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment was made by her Department of the impact on other secondary schools in the London borough of Hillingdon of the decision to allow the creation of the planned new secondary school in Ruislip;
	(2)  what action she has taken to verify the planning predictions of pupil numbers used by the London borough of Hillingdon in its case for the construction of the planned new secondary school in Ruislip.

Jacqui Smith: The Department relies on local authorities to ensure, in their planning, that the provision of school places matches existing and forecast demand. This is because local authorities are in the best position to assess requirements. With respect to Hillingdon council, this should include the creation of the planned new secondary school in Ruislip.

Nursery Places

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) three and (b) four-year-olds whose parents had requested a nursery place did not have one allocated to them in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	All four-year-olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998 and from April 2004 this entitlement was extended to all three-year-olds. The free entitlement consists of a minimum of five two and a half hour sessions per week for 33 weeks of the year for six terms before statutory school age, which is the term following their fifth birthday.
	Some local authorities may additionally offer subsidised child care places but this information is not collected centrally.
	Figures for January 2005 show that all four-year-old children are benefiting from some free provision. The figure for three-years-olds is 96 per cent. This covers all maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers and represents 535,100 three-year-olds and 568,300 four-year-olds.
	The available information on the number of three and four-year-old children taking up nursery education places in England is shown in the tables.
	The latest figures on nursery education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 43/2005 Provision for children under five years of age in EnglandJanuary 2005 (final) in September, which is available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	
		Table 1: Number of three-year-olds taking up nursery education places(58)(58)(60) by type of early years providerEngland 200105
		
			  Position in January each year 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Private and voluntary providers(61)  
			 Number 285,100 283,200 (62)321,500 (62)330,300 (62)327,000 
			 Percentage of population(63) 47 48 56 59 59 
			 Number taking up free places (64)116,900 (64)184,600 (7) (62)(63)264,500 (64)288,400 (64)302,000 
			 Percentage of population(63) 19 31 46 51 54 
			   
			 Independent schools(65)  
			 Number 27,200 27,400 26,800 26,200 24,800 
			 Percentage of population(63) 5 5 5 5 4 
			 Number taking up free places (64)6,100 (64)10,700 (62)(63)16,100 (64)15,800 (64)17,300 
			 Percentage of population (6) 1 2 3 3 3 
			 Maintained nursery and primary schools  
			 Number 226,800 223,500 218,700 215,300 214,300 
			 Percentage of population(63) 38 38 38 38 38 
			   
			 Nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools  
			 Number n/a 222,000 216,200 212,000 209,500 
			 Percentage of population(63) n/a 37 37 33 38 
			   
			 Infant classes in primary schools(66)  
			 Number n/a 1,600 2,500 3,300 4,800 
			 Percentage of population(63) n/a   1 1 
			   
			 Special schools10,11  
			 Number 2,300 2,100 1,900 1,700 1,600 
			 Percentage of population(63)  
			   
			 All providers(58)(59)  
			 Number 541,100 536,300 (62)568,900 (62)573,500 (62)567,600 
			 Percentage of population(63) 90 90 98 102 102 
			 Number taking up free places 351,900 421,000 (62)(63)501,200 (64)521,200 (64)535,100 
			 Percentage of population(63) 59 71 87 93 96 
		
	
	n/a=not available.
	=less than 0.5 per cent.
	(58) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(59) Numbers of three-year-olds in schools may include some two-year-olds.
	(60) Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice.
	(61) Includes some local authority providers (other than schools) registered to receive Nursery Education Grants; excludes independent schools and providers not registered to receive Nursery Education Grants.
	(62) Scaled up from the data returned for the Early Years Census exercise to all providers of early years education.
	(63) Numbers of three-year-olds taking up places expressed as a percentage of the three-year-old population.
	(64) Providers returned the number of places for three-year-olds for which they had received or expected to receive funding.
	(65) Includes direct grant nursery schools and city academies.
	(66) Includes reception and other classes not designated as nursery classes.
	(67) 0 Includes general hospital schools.
	(68)(69) Excludes pupils who are also registered elsewhere.
	(70)(71) Rounding of components may cause discrepancies in totals.
	
		Table 2: Number of four-year-olds taking up nursery education places(71)(71) by type of early years providerEngland 200105
		
			  Position in January each year 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Private and voluntary providers(73)  
			 Number 101,100 96,500 (74)107,100 (74)115,100 (74)105,900 
			 Percentage of population(75) 17 16 18 20 19 
			 Number taking up free places (76)91,300 (76)89,500 (74)(75)100,600 (76)100,100 (76)94,700 
			 Percentage of population(75) 15 15 17 17 17 
			   
			 Independent schools(77)  
			 Number 28,300 29,400 29,000 28,500 27,200 
			 Percentage of population(75) 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Number taking up free places (76)21,200 (76)21,200 (74)(75)24,400 (76)22,600 (76)21,900 
			 Percentage of population(75) 3 4 4 4 4 
			   
			 Maintained nursery and primary schools  
			 Number 482,800 477,700 472,200 461,100 449,500 
			 Percentage of population(75) 79 80 80 80 80 
			   
			 Nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools  
			 Number n/a 119,400 115,100 108,200 102,800 
			 Percentage of population(75) n/a 20 19 19 18 
			   
			 Infant classes in primary schools(78)  
			 Number n/a 358,300 357,000 352,900 346,700 
			 Percentage of population(75) n/a 60 60 61 62 
			   
			 Special schools9,10  
			 Number 2,700 2,700 2,500 2,400 2,100 
			 Percentage of population(75)  
			 All providers(71)(72)  
			 Number 614,900 606,300 (74)610,800 (74)607,100 (74)584,700 
			 Percentage of population(75) 101 101 103 105 104 
			 Number taking up free places 598,000 591,100 (74)(75)599,700 (76)586,300 (76)568,300 
			 Percentage of population(75) 98 98 101 101 101 
		
	
	n/a=not available.
	=less than 0.5 per cent.
	Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(72) Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice.
	(73) Includes some local authority providers (other than schools) registered to receive nursery education grants; excludes independent schools and providers not registered to receive nursery education grants.
	(74) Scaled up from the data returned for the Early Years Census exercise to all providers of early years education.
	(75) Numbers of four-year-olds taking up places expressed as a percentage of the four-year-old population.
	(76) Providers returned the number of places for four-year-olds for which they had received or expected to receive funding.
	(77) Includes direct grant nursery schools and city academies.
	(78) Includes reception and other classes not designated as nursery classes.
	(79) Includes general hospital schools.
	(80) 0 Excludes pupils who are also registered elsewhere.
	(81)(82) Rounding of components may cause discrepancies in totals.

Ofsted

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of schools inspected by Ofsted were rated (a) unsatisfactory, (b) satisfactory, (c) good and (d) outstanding in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Maurice Smith, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Maurice Smith, dated 2 February 2006
	Your recent parliamentary question has been referred to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of schools, for reply.
	You asked how many and what proportion of schools inspected by Ofsted were rated (a) unsatisfactory, (b) satisfactory, (c) good and (d) outstanding in each year since 1997.
	From January 2000 Ofsted inspections of maintained schools have included a judgement about the overall effectiveness of the school. Until July 2005 these judgements were made on a seven point scale; excellent (1), very good (2), good (3), satisfactory (4), unsatisfactory (5), poor (6) and very poor (7). Since September 2005 a four point scale has been used; outstanding (1), good (2), satisfactory (3) and inadequate (4). Prior to January 2000 inspectors were not required to make a single overall judgement about a school.
	The tables overleaf summarise data made available in HMCI's Annual Report for each of the years 1999/2000 to 2004/05. These are shown separately for primary, secondary and special schools.
	
		The overall effectiveness of primary schools
		
			  Number of inspections(83) Excellent, very good(84) Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory, poor 
		
		
			 1999/2000(85) 2,309 20 (1) 43 27 10 
			 2000/01 3,396 23 (1) 42 28 7 
			 2001/02 3,283 24 (2) 45 26 6 
			 2002/03 3,021 25 (1) 44 26 5 
			 2003/04(86) 3,517 19 (1) 48 28 5 
			 2004/05 1,998 19 (1) 49 27 4 
		
	
	
		The overall effectiveness of secondary schools
		
			  Number of inspections(83) Excellent, very good(84) Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory, poor 
		
		
			 1999/2000(85) 359 24 (1) 43 21 12 
			 2000/01 636 25 (2) 46 23 7 
			 2001/02 548 26 (3) 44 24 7 
			 2002/03 539 28 (4) 43 23 6 
			 2003/04(86) 627 20 (2) 49 22 10 
			 2004/05 485 25 (3) 44 24 7 
		
	
	
		The overall effectiveness of special schools
		
			  Number of inspections(83) Excellent, very good(84) Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory, poor 
		
		
			 1999/2000(85) 169 34 (2) 34 20 10 
			 2000/01 238 32 (3) 45 15 8 
			 2001/02 213 39 (6) 40 16 6 
			 2002/03 179 36 (5) 38 18 8 
			 2003/04(86) 196 21 (3) 55 18 6 
			 2004/05 152 31 (5) 44 20 5 
		
	
	(83) Weighted figures to provide a balanced evidence base.
	(84) Figures in brackets are the percentage judged to be excellent.
	(85) The overall effectiveness judgement was only available for schools inspected from January in the academic year 1999/2000.
	(86) New framework introduced September 2003.
	
		The overall effectiveness of schools autumn term 2005: provisional
		
			  Number of inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
		
		
			 Primary 1,52 9 51 31 9 
			 Secondary 362 10 42 34 14 
			 Special 114 26 57 16 1

Overseas Students

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of overseas students studying in further education institutes in England are from India.

Bill Rammell: Defining for this purpose home learners as those whose country of domicile is either England, Wales or Scotland then there were a total of 82,130 overseas students in further education institutions in England in 2004/05. Of these 2,930 were from India which represents 3.6 per cent. of the total.

Playing for Success (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the Playing for Success initiative in Hartlepool.

Jacqui Smith: Hartlepool United FC is one of more than 150 sports clubs and venues currently signed up to the Department's Playing for Success (PfS) initiative, which is establishing study support centres in or near their grounds. Four consecutive national evaluation studies have shown that PfS is highly effective in meeting its objectives of improving the literacy, numeracy and ICT skills of pupils at key stages 2 and 3, as well as boosting their motivation and self esteem. Hartlepool's Centre was not open at the time of the last evaluation. However, the local authority's annual report of the Centre's work in 200405 echoes the national findings.

Pupil Performance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of school pupils who are performing below national expectation.

Jacqui Smith: Record achievements have been made by pupils in both primary and secondary schools since 1997, as measured by the results from national curriculum tests and public examinations. Last year there were improvements at every key stage, with GCSE and equivalent results showing the biggest annual increase for over a decade.
	The following tables show the number and proportion of pupils who did not achieve the target level for their age in each of the national curriculum tests taken at the end of key stages 2 and 3 in 2005, compared to 1997. The tables also show the number and proportion of 15-year-olds who did not achieve the Government's national target of five or more A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent qualifications in 2005, compared to 1997.
	The figures for key stages 2 and 3 represent the number and proportion of children entered for each individual test who are performing below the target level. An individual pupil could be counted under one, two or three headings depending on whether the child is performing below in more than one subject.
	
		Key stage 2 -- Thousands
		
			  Number of 11-year-olds below level 4(87) 
			  1997 2005 
		
		
			 English 196.6 122.9 
			 Percentage 34 20 
			
			 Mathematics 205.0 146.1 
			 Percentage 36 24 
		
	
	
		Key stage 3 -- Thousands
		
			  Number of 14-year-olds below level 5(87)(88) 
			  1997 2005 
		
		
			 English 204.2 138.1 
			 Percentage 39 23 
			
			 Mathematics 191.4 143.2 
			 Percentage 37 24 
			
			 Science 185.9 168.2 
			 Percentage 36 28 
		
	
	
		Key stage 4 -- Thousands
		
			  Number of 15-year-olds with fewer than 5 A*-C GCSEs or equivalent 
		
		
			 1997 321.2 
			 Percentage 54.90 
			   
			 2005 278.4 
			 Percentage 43.7 
		
	
	(87) Excludes pupils who were absent or unable to access the national curriculum tests
	(88) There are no national curriculum tests in ICT at the end of key stage 3. Results are published on the basis of teacher assessments.
	The Government's White PaperHigher Standards, Better Schools for Allsets out our commitment to an extra investment of 565 million by 2007/08 to support personalisation in primary and secondary schools, focusing particularly on helping children who have fallen behind in English and mathematics. A further 60 million will be available in each of the next two years to provide effective one-to-one and small group tuition for the lowest attaining pupils.

Qualifications (Gateshead)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Mrs. Hodgson) of 16th January 2006, Official Report, column 1016W, on qualifications (Gateshead), if she will provide comparable information for each local authority in Tyne and Wear.

Phil Hope: The following table shows estimates of the level of highest qualification held by the working age population in the local authority districts of Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland. Data comes from the Local Labour Force Survey and covers the period 1999/2000 to 2004/05.
	
		Percentage
		
			 Qualification level 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 Gateshead   
			 Level 4 or 5 15 19 17 20 22 22 
			 Level 3 12 11 12 12 12 13 
			 Trade Apprenticeships(89) 12 10 10 10 8 8 
			 Level 2 15 15 17 16 16 16 
			 Below level 2 18 17 17 16 19 18 
			 Other qualifications(90) 5 6 6 7 6 6 
			 No qualifications 23 21 21 19 17 17 
			
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne   
			 Level 4 or 5 21 25 25 26 28 26 
			 Level 3 14 13 14 16 15 15 
			 Trade Apprenticeships(89) 10 9 8 8 7 7 
			 Level 2 15 15 13 14 12 13 
			 Below level 2 12 11 13 11 13 12 
			 Other qualifications(90) 10 7 7 7 7 8 
			 No qualifications 18 20 20 18 18 19 
			
			 North Tyneside   
			 Level 4 or 5 16 20 22 23 24 26 
			 Level 3 12 13 16 16 15 16 
			 Trade Apprenticeships(89) 14 11 10 8 10 8 
			 Level 2 17 17 16 18 16 17 
			 Below level 2 16 16 14 16 15 15 
			 Other qualifications(90) 8 5 7 7 6 5 
			 No qualifications 16 18 15 13 14 14 
			
			 South Tyneside   
			 Level 4 or 5 16 14 16 18 17 17 
			 Level 3 12 12 12 14 15 16 
			 Trade Apprenticeships(89) 15 14 13 11 10 10 
			 Level 2 15 15 15 15 16 18 
			 Below level 2 14 16 18 18 19 17 
			 Other qualifications(90) 9 6 6 6 6 5 
			 No qualifications 19 22 20 18 17 17 
			
			 Sunderland   
			 Level 4 or 5 14 15 15 16 15 16 
			 Level 3 11 10 13 14 13 12 
			 Trade Apprenticeships(89) 13 12 10 10 9 8 
			 Level 2 12 16 16 15 16 20 
			 Below level 2 19 18 19 19 20 20 
			 Other qualifications(90) 8 7 6 7 7 6 
			 No qualifications 23 22 21 18 20 18 
		
	
	(89) For the purposes of target measurement people with trade apprenticeships as their highest qualification are assigned to level 3 and level 2 in the ratio of 50:50.
	(90) Qualifications that cannot be assigned directly to levels. For the purposes of target measurement, people with Other qualifications as their highest qualification level are assigned to level 3:level 2:below level 2 in the ratio of 10:35:55.
	Notes:
	1. As with all sample surveys the estimates presented in this table are subject to sampling variability.
	2. Columns may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
	3. Working age people are defined as males and females aged 1664 and 1659 respectively.

Raising Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on John Smeaton Community High School in Leeds and the measures the school is taking to raise its standards;
	(2)  what steps Agnes Stewart Church of England High School in Leeds is taking to raise its standards; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Both Agnes Stewart Church of England High School and John Smeaton Community High School have been part of a project with four other high schools in Leeds supported by my Department and Education Leeds since 2004. The project is currently seeking to raise standards through a range of initiatives, designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning and raise attainment.
	For Agnes Stewart support has included a collaborative arrangement with Garforth High School and Braimwood High School in Leeds. Agnes Stewart had serious weaknesses and on re-inspection in November 2005 was judged to still require significant improvement. Agnes Stewart and Braimwood are to close this year and be replaced by a new Academy in September.
	For John Smeaton School support measures have included the appointment of an additional part-time Vice Principal, seconded from the David Young Academy, to ensure the school's assessment procedures are improved; targeted support from Secondary National Strategy consultants, who are working with the school's numeracy assistants; extra assistance from school improvement advisers from Education Leeds; and continued support from other schools within the local Leadership Incentive Grant collaborative partnership.

School Performance

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been closed because they were deemed to be failing in each year since 1996.

Jacqui Smith: The number of failing schools that have been closed by local authorities since 1996 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Academic year Number of schools closed 
		
		
			 1995/96 9 
			 1996/97 14 
			 1997/98 30 
			 1998/99 39 
			 1999/2000 42 
			 2000/01 17 
			 2001/02 19 
			 2002/03 19 
			 2003/04 28 
			 2004/05 21 
		
	
	These are schools judged by Ofsted to require special measures only. The figures do not include other schools closed by local authorities. For example, they do not include schools judged by Ofsted to have serious weaknesses; weak schools with falling rolls not in Ofsted categories; or, schools which were part of local authority school re-organisations to reduce surplus places.

Schools Admissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1927W, on schools admissions, if she will list the schools where there have been objections to schools' proposals to interview parents and pupils as part of their admissions process; which objections were considered by (a) the Schools Adjudicator and (b) the Secretary of State; and what the outcome was in each case.

Jacqui Smith: The two schools that had objections to proposals to interview parents and pupils were The London Oratory School (in 2004 and 2005) and Gunnersbury Catholic School (in 2005).
	In April 2004, the Schools Adjudicator determined part of the objection to the London Oratory School's admission arrangements for 2005 on the issue of the practice of interviewing prospective parents in a general sense. The Adjudicator upheld this part, but the determination was quashed at Judicial Review and permission to appeal was refused.
	In 2004, the Secretary of State decided on the second part of the above objection to the lack of clarity, fairness and objectivity of the admission arrangements relating in part to a person's religion. The Secretary of State partially upheld this part and the school modified that section of its admission arrangements.
	In 2005, two objections were made to the proposed admission arrangements to Gunnersbury Catholic School and The London Oratory School and were referred to the Secretary of State as both cases involved interviewing to determine religious affiliation.
	The objection to interviewing at Gunnersbury School was upheld as the school proposed to interview only to verify that an applicant was a practising Catholic and this information could be verified by documentary evidence.
	The objection to interviewing at the London Oratory was not upheld as the school was able to provide thorough and sufficient proof that its interviewing arrangements were the only appropriate way of assessing the degree of an applicant's religious commitment as set out in their admission arrangements.

Schools for the Hearing Impaired

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 12 January 2006, Official Report, column 830W, on schools for the hearing impaired, how many of the special schools approved to make provision for pupils with hearing impairment are (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Jacqui Smith: Information on number of special schools is derived from Annual Schools' Census returns made by schools to the Department in January each year. Special schools form a distinct school type and they are not classified as being either primary or secondary schools.

Sex and Relationship Education

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if her Department will issue best practice guidelines to schools to ensure that every child receives a high standard of sex and relationship education.

Maria Eagle: The Department issued guidance to schools on sex and relationship education in July 2000. Additionally, in November 2005, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority produced a package of guidance to schools including exemplar units of work on sex and relationship education.
	To improve further the quality of teaching, all teachers of sex and relationship education are encouraged to undertake the Government funded teachers' certificate in Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE). The certificate supports standards in the delivery of PSHE teaching including sex and relationship education and is available to both primary and secondary school teachers.

Special Measures

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of schools were in special measures in each of the past 15 years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 2 February 2006
	The information is set out in the following table. Special measures judgments were first given by Ofsted in the 1993/94 academic year.
	
		
			   Academic year Number of schools in special measures at end of year Percentage of schools in special measures at end of year 
		
		
			 1993/94 (91)15 0.1 
			 1994/95 (91)81 0.3 
			 1995/96 (91)192 0.8 
			 1996/97 (91)366 1.6 
			 1997/98 (91)524 2.2 
			 1998/1999 447 2.0 
			 1999/2000 394 1.8 
			 2000/01 320 1.4 
			 2001/02 270 1.2 
			 2002/03 282 1.2 
			 2003/04 332 1.5 
			 2004/05 242 1.0 
		
	
	(91) Ofsted have recently updated their figures for schools in Special Measures. The figures above therefore provide a revision to figures previously published for years 1993/94 to 1997/98.

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role (a) has been played by and (b) is envisaged for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust in relation to specialist schools in England.

Jacqui Smith: The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is a non profit-making educational charity. It is the lead advisory body on the specialist school initiative for the DfES, providing advice and support for schools in England seeking to achieve or maintain specialist school status. Its work includes the promotion, development and support of specialist schools, conference and seminar activities and a publications programme. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust also plays an important role in raising sponsorship and introducing potential sponsors to suitable candidate schools. We expect that the trust will continue to perform these roles.

Stevenson Report

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the implementation of the Stevenson Commission Report; and if she will list the recommendations of the report which have yet to be implemented.

Phil Hope: The Stevenson Commission Report was issued in March 1997 and made five major recommendations. Since then the Government has sustained a programme of activity that has addressed all these major recommendations and has supported the development of ICT in schools resulting in:
	The launch of a national strategy through the National Grid for Learning Programme.
	An improved computer pupil ratio in schools between 1996 and 2005 with the breakdown between primary and secondary schools as follows:
	
		
			  1996 2005 
		
		
			 Primary 1:19 1:6.7 
			 Secondary 1:9 1:4.1 
		
	
	Every school connected to the internet and now 85 per cent. connected at broadband levels to a National Education Network. Of this total 83 per cent. of primary schools are now connected at broadband levels and 99 per cent. of secondary schools.
	The establishment of Curriculum Online and the additional investment of over 500 million in schools for the purchase of educationally relevant software.
	Trained over 96 per cent. of all teachers so that between 1998 and 2004 the numbers who can confidently use ICT increased as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			  1998 2004 
		
		
			 Primary 65 85 
			 Secondary 61 81 
		
	
	We continue to maintain activity in this area and last March launched a new system wide e-strategy. We have also recently announced an additional 50 million to help the most disadvantaged pupils gain access to ICT at home.

Teachers (Fraudulent Applications)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many reports of serious (a) fraud and (b) deception in connection with an application for employment as a teacher were received by her Department in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not keep this information.

Underachieving/Deprived Pupils

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will rank local authorities by their proportion of (a) underachieving and (b) deprived school pupils; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Information on (a) the proportion of pupils at Key Stage 4 achieving 5 or more A* to C or equivalent grades at GCSE and (b) the proportion of pupils in secondary schools known to be eligible for free school meals in 2005 is shown in the tables.
	
		Maintained secondary schools: percentage of pupils at key stage 4 achieving 5 or more A* to C at GCSE and equivalent(92), by local authority areas in England, ranked in ascending order of percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A* to C at GCSE and equivalent (2005)
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 England Average(93) 57.1 
			 Total (Maintained sector) 55.0 
			   
			 Bristol 36.5 
			 Blackpool 40.7 
			 Nottingham City 41.5 
			 North East Lincolnshire 42.6 
			 Sandwell 43.0 
			 Manchester 43.9 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 44.0 
			 Islington 44.2 
			 Doncaster 44.5 
			 Knowsley 44.6 
			 Barnsley 45.4 
			 Leicester City 45.5 
			 Isle of Wight 45.5 
			 Salford 45.6 
			 Middlesbrough 45.7 
			 Greenwich 45.7 
			 Portsmouth 46.0 
			 Walsall 46.2 
			 Coventry 46.4 
			 Reading 46.4 
			 Bradford 46.6 
			 Sheffield 46.7 
			 Westminster 46.8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 46.9 
			 Nottinghamshire 47.1 
			 Merton 47.1 
			 Southampton 47.1 
			 Southwark 47.2 
			 Hackney 47.3 
			 Haringey 47.7 
			 Stoke on Trent 48.1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 48.3 
			 Liverpool 49.1 
			 Thurrock 49.1 
			 Waltham Forest 49.1 
			 Halton 49.2 
			 Rochdale 49.2 
			 Lewisham 49.4 
			 Rotherham 49.5 
			 Leeds 49.6 
			 Swindon 50.1 
			 Luton 50.3 
			 Bolton 50.7 
			 Barking and Dagenham 50.8 
			 North Lincolnshire 50.9 
			 Tower Hamlets 50.9 
			 Newham 51.0 
			 Hillingdon 51.0 
			 Kirklees 51.1 
			 Durham 51.2 
			 Sunderland 51.5 
			 Milton Keynes 51.6 
			 South Tyneside 51.7 
			 Tameside 51.7 
			 Wigan 51.7 
			 Enfield 51.7 
			 Hartlepool 51.8 
			 Camden 51.8 
			 Oldham 51.9 
			 Northamptonshire 52.0 
			 Bournemouth 52.0 
			 Medway 52.2 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 52.3 
			 Norfolk 52.6 
			 Lambeth 53.0 
			 Torbay 53.1 
			 Derby 53.4 
			 Dudley 53.5 
			 North Tyneside 53.7 
			 Bedfordshire 53.8 
			 City of Peterborough 53.8 
			 Telford and The Wrekin 53.9 
			 Wandsworth 54.1 
			 Bracknell Forest 54.3 
			 Oxfordshire 54.4 
			 Staffordshire 54.5 
			 Croydon 54.5 
			 Stockport 54.7 
			 Calderdale 54.7 
			 City of Plymouth 54.8 
			 Stockton on Tees 54.9 
			 Richmond upon Thames 54.9 
			 East Sussex 54.9 
			 Brighton and Hove 55.0 
			 Wolverhampton 55.1 
			 Derbyshire 55.4 
			 South Gloucestershire 55.5 
			 St Helens 55.7 
			 Worcestershire 55.7 
			 Cornwall 55.8 
			 West Sussex 55.9 
			 Devon 55.9 
			 Slough 56.2 
			 Wakefield 56.4 
			 Darlington 56.6 
			 Essex 56.6 
			 Somerset 56.6 
			 Lancashire 56.7 
			 Herefordshire 56.7 
			 Birmingham 56.7 
			 Wirral 56.8 
			 Cumbria 57.1 
			 Leicestershire 57.1 
			 Sefton 57.3 
			 Warwickshire 57.3 
			 Brent 57.3 
			 North Somerset 57.4 
			 Bexley 57.5 
			 Bury 57.8 
			 Hounslow 57.9 
			 Wiltshire 58.1 
			 Suffolk 58.3 
			 Cambridgeshire 58.3 
			 Northumberland 58.9 
			 Lincolnshire 59.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 59.0 
			 Ealing 59.5 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 59.5 
			 Kent 59.8 
			 Cheshire 60.2 
			 York 60.6 
			 Wokingham 60.8 
			 Dorset 60.8 
			 West Berkshire 60.9 
			 Hampshire 60.9 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 61 2 
			 Havering 61.2 
			 Warrington 61.3 
			 Surrey 61.3 
			 Southend 61.6 
			 Hertfordshire 61.8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 61 8 
			 Harrow 61.9 
			 North Yorkshire 62.7 
			 Gloucestershire 62.8 
			 Shropshire 63.2 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 63.5 
			 Poole 63.8 
			 Bromley 64.0 
			 Barnet 64.1 
			 Solihull 64.2 
			 Gateshead 65.5 
			 Rutland 66.5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 67.6 
			 Buckinghamshire 67.6 
			 Sutton 68.0 
			 Redbridge 70.0 
			 Trafford 70.2 
			 Isles of Scilly 82.6 
		
	
	(92) Figures include GCSEs and other approved qualifications
	(93) Includes independent schools
	
		Maintained secondary schools(94): school meal arrangements(95), by local authority areas in England, ranked in descending order of percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (2005)
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 England 14.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 61.5 
			 Southwark 46.3 
			 Islington 43.0 
			 Manchester 42.9 
			 Newham 41.9 
			 Hackney 38.6 
			 Lambeth 38.3 
			 Haringey 37.1 
			 Knowsley 35.3 
			 Middlesbrough 33.1 
			 Westminster 32.8 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 32.7 
			 Birmingham 31.8 
			 Greenwich 31.4 
			 Camden 31.0 
			 Nottingham 30.4 
			 Liverpool 30.2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 28.3 
			 Lewisham 27.6 
			 Barking and Dagenham 26.9 
			 Ealing 26.7 
			 Waltham Forest 26.4 
			 South Tyneside 26.3 
			 Bradford 25.6 
			 Wandsworth 25.2 
			 Salford 25.0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 24.7 
			 Rochdale 24.1 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 24.0 
			 Luton 23.6 
			 Wirral 23.4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 22.3 
			 Leicester 22.2 
			 Brent 22.0 
			 Enfield 21.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 21.3 
			 Barnsley 20.6 
			 Hartlepool 20.3 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 20.1 
			 Oldham 20.0 
			 Hounslow 19.6 
			 Halton 19.5 
			 Harrow 19.3 
			 Blackpool 19.2 
			 Croydon 19.0 
			 Sandwell 18.9 
			 Wolverhampton 18.5 
			 Bristol, City of 17.8 
			 Tameside 17.6 
			 Leeds 17.6 
			 North East Lincolnshire 17.5 
			 Durham 17.4 
			 Hillingdon 17.3 
			 Gateshead 17.2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 17.1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 17.1 
			 Southampton 17.0 
			 Coventry 16.8 
			 St. Helens 16.7 
			 Derby 16.7 
			 Walsall 16.6 
			 Sheffield 16.5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 16.4 
			 Peterborough 16.4 
			 Kirklees 16.3 
			 Merton 16.1 
			 Brighton and Hove 16.1 
			 Isle of Wight 15.9 
			 Bolton 15.6 
			 Sunderland 15.5 
			 Sefton 15.5 
			 Portsmouth 15.3 
			 Slough 15.1 
			 Redbridge 15.0 
			 Rotherham 15.0 
			 Dudley 14.9 
			 Darlington 14.7 
			 Barnet 14.7 
			 Wakefleld 14.6 
			 Wigan 14.3 
			 Doncaster 14.2 
			 Thurrock 13.6 
			 Bury 13.5 
			 Torbay 13.4 
			 Calderdale 13.3 
			 Lancashire 13.0 
			 Reading 12.7 
			 Southend-on-Sea 12.1 
			 North Lincolnshire 12.1 
			 North Tyneside 12.1 
			 Plymouth 11.8 
			 Stockport 11.8 
			 Cumbria 11.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 11.2 
			 East Sussex 11.0 
			 Northumberland 10.9 
			 Solihull 10.9 
			 Trafford 10.8 
			 Bournemouth 10.7 
			 Bromley 10.3 
			 Milton Keynes 10.2 
			 Norfolk 9.9 
			 Cornwall 9.8 
			 Havering 9.7 
			 Derbyshire 9.4 
			 Bedfordshire 9.2 
			 Suffolk 9.0 
			 Bexley 9.8 
			 Cheshire 8.9 
			 Kent 8.8 
			 Medway 8.7 
			 Essex 8.5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8.3 
			 Swindon 8.3 
			 Worcestershire 8.3 
			 Devon 8.3 
			 Warrington 8.2 
			 Staffordshire 8.1 
			 Oxfordshire 8.0 
			 Sutton 8.0 
			 Somerset 8.0 
			 North Somerset 7.8 
			 Herefordshire 7.7 
			 York 7.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 7.4 
			 Warwickshire 7.2 
			 Northamptonshire 7.2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 7.0 
			 Gloucestershire 6.9 
			 South Gloucestershire 6.8 
			 Hampshire 6.8 
			 Lincolnshire 6.8 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 6.7 
			 Hertfordshire 6.7 
			 Shropshire 6.7 
			 West Sussex 6.2 
			 Dorset 6.0 
			 North Yorkshire 5.9 
			 Leicestershire 5.9 
			 Surrey 5.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 5.8 
			 Wiltshire 5.7 
			 Bracknell Forest 5.5 
			 Poole 5.4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 5.4 
			 West Berkshire 4.9 
			 Wokingham 4.9 
			 Rutland 3.2 
			 Isles of Scilly(96) 1.6 
			 City of London n/a 
		
	
	n/a=Not applicable. No schools of this type.
	(94) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(95) Includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils.
	(96) Isles of Scilly is deemed primary, but is included in this analysis for consistency with the table on attainment.

University for Industry

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards the establishment of the University for Industry included in the Government's 1997 manifesto; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Ufi (initially called the University for Industry), the organisation responsible for learndirect, has successfully pushed the boundaries of learning methods, by making innovative use of technology to make learning more flexible. It is the largest Government supported e-learning initiative in the world, and provides high quality learning for the post-16 learning and skills sector. It particularly reaches those with few or no skills and qualifications who are unlikely to participate in more traditional forms of learning.
	In eight years Ufi has grown from an idea to an organisation providing 500,000 learners a year with the opportunity to improve their skills at either a learndirect centre, or from work, or from their home computer. Through its national advice line it has dealt with over seven million calls. Almost 200,000 small and medium sized employers have also used learndirect services.

Year 11 Leavers

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many year 11 leavers in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield District and (c) Normanton constituency have stayed on in learning each year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The percentage of 16-year-olds in full-time education in England at the end of 2004 was estimated to be 74.2 per cent.the highest ever rate. Percentage figures on participation in education by young people are not available for parliamentary constituencies, but are available for local authoritiesincluding Wakefield LEA and for West Yorkshire. These were published in the Statistical First Release Participation in education and training by 16 and 17 year olds in each local area in EnglandSFR11/2005 on 31 March 2005.
	The publication is accessible on the DfES website via the link, http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000568/index.shtml
	The specific figures are available through the following link: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000568/SFR112005tables_lea.xls

TREASURY

Alcohol Sales

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of total sales of (a) beers and lagers, (b) wine and (c) spirits were sold in (i) licensed premises and (ii) off licences in the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Household final consumption expenditure figures for 2004 show that 70 per cent. of expenditure on alcoholic drinks was in licensed premises and 30 per cent. was in off licences in the United Kingdom. Figures for beer and lager, wine and spirits are shown in the following table.
	
		Household final consumption expenditure on alcohol in the UK in 2004
		
			  Licensed premises ( million) Off licences ( million) Total ( million) % sold in licensed premises % sold through off licences 
		
		
			 Beer and lager 16,222 3,054 19,276 84.2 15.8 
			 Wine 7,665 5,900 13,565 56.5 43.5 
			 Spirits 4,701 3,295 7,996 58.8 41.2 
			 Total Alcohol 28,588 12,249 40,837 70.0 30.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, Household final consumption expenditure

Alcohol Sales

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated consumption per capita was of (a) beers and lagers, (b) wine and (c) spirits in the UK, in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows estimated average weekly purchases per person of beer, lager, wine and spirits by people aged 14 and over in UK households. Information on alcoholic drinks eaten out is not available until 200102 when the Expenditure and Food Survey replaced the National Food Survey. It should be noted that survey respondents may tend to underestimate the quantity of alcoholic drinks they purchase.
	
		UK household purchases of beer, lager, wine and spirits by people aged 14 and over -- ml per person per week
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Beers and lagers   
			 Household purchases 413 429 445 415 401 473 471 460 503 478 
			 Eating out purchases(97)   759 716 673 623 
			 Total purchases   1,230 1,176 1,176 1,101 
			
			 Wine(98)   
			 Household purchases 198 206 219 241 241 716 270 267 287 302 
			 Eating out purchases(97)   24 24 25 26 
			 Total purchases   294 291 312 328 
			
			 Spirits(99)   
			 Household purchases 39 42 39 37 42 45 48 47 50 46 
			 Eating out purchases(97)   21 20 22 20 
			 Total purchases   69 67 72 66 
		
	
	(97) Quantity of alcohol eaten out is not available prior to 200102
	(98) Includes sparkling and non-sparkling wine, wine with mixers, champagne
	(99) Includes spirits, spirits with mixers, liqueurs, cocktails etc.
	Source:
	Defra, adjusted National Food Survey (1995 to 2000), Expenditure and Food Survey (200102 to 200405)

Benefit Payments (Debt Recovery)

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the banking industry on the impact on customers of the right of set-off being used to recover debts from benefits paid into a basic bank account.

Ivan Lewis: The Treasury has had a number of discussions with the banking industry covering a range of topics including the basic bank account.

Chard Neighbourhood Nursery

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects HM Revenue and Customs to make its ex gratia payment of outstanding valued added tax to the Chard Neighbourhood Nursery; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs officials are discussing this matter with the various parties concerned and are making an immediate substantial interim payment while the remaining matters are resolved.

Community Banking

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the Financial Inclusion Taskforce has made in evaluating the community banking model.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Inclusion Taskforce was launched in February 2005 following the publication of Promoting financial inclusion. The taskforce has been asked to monitor progress towards tackling financial exclusion and report to the Government on what more needs to be done. The terms of reference of the taskforce can be found on the taskforce website at www.financialinclusion-taskforce.org.uk. The taskforce will report to Treasury in due course.

Construction Industry Scheme

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to communicate to the construction industry the operation of the new Construction Industry Scheme; and how much has been spent on this activity.

John Healey: HMRC is delivering a comprehensive publicity and education programme. This started with a mailing to accountants in March 2005 and a more detailed mailshot in August 2005.
	Factsheets for the new scheme were published on the internet in August 2005, designed to inform contractors and sub-contractors about the different aspects of the new scheme. Later that month contractors were invited to attend seminars on the scheme run by HMRC's business advisers.
	The change was publicised in national tabloid newspapers and in accountancy and the trade press in September and October 2005. The adverts directed readers to the HMRC website for further information.
	Earlier mailings were followed up by direct mailings to contractors in December 2005 and January 2006. These were to promote the launch of two new services: a helpline and an Employment Status Indicator (ESI) tool. The helpline was opened to help deal with inquiries on new CIS and employment status. The ESI is a computer based interactive tool to help determine the status. The new ESI tool can be accessed direct over the internet from the HMRC website.
	Further mailshots for contractors and sub-contractors are scheduled in the run-up to the launch of the new CIS in April 2007.
	The cost of publicity and education programme to date is approximately 1 million.

Construction Industry Scheme

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what process Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs applies to money that has been deducted under the Construction Industry Scheme but cannot be allocated to national insurance due to a worker not registering a national insurance number; and how much was dealt with under this process in 200405.

John Healey: The Construction Industry Scheme requires contractors to make deductions (currently at 18 per cent.) from payments made to sub-contractors and pay the deductions to HM Revenue and Customs. All sub-contractors registered under the scheme are also registered for self-assessment and are required to report their profits on a self assessment return, at the end of the tax year. The amounts deducted from sub-contractors are applied first against their liability to income tax on their profits and then against their liability to class 4 national insurance contributions on those profits. Any balance is repaid. Where sub-contractors are liable to class 2 national insurance contributions, they account for them separately to HM Revenue and Customs.

Corporation Tax Relief

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends the abolition of corporation tax relief for small businesses making less than 10,000 profit a year to include sports clubs.

John Healey: The proposed abolition of the corporation tax starting rate means that this benefit will no longer be available to small businesses, including most sports clubs. The change is due to take effect from April 2006. This is in line with our stated intention to improve fairness between organisations, whatever their legal structure.
	Sports clubs that are registered as charities would however be exempt from corporation tax on rental income, most investment income and their primary purpose trading income. Sports clubs that are registered with HM Revenue  Customs as Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCS) benefit from a range of tax reliefs similar to those enjoyed by charities. This includes exemption from corporation tax on bank and building society interest, on any trading profits where turnover is no more than 30,000, and on income from property where total receipts are no more than 20,000. Only those clubs with significant taxable income are likely to be affected.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the items of departmental property worth over 100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Five Safedial cards, one desktop computer and one Blackberry have been reported as lost since January 2005.
	Information relating to breakages of Treasury property is not available.
	My reply to the hon. Member on 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 398W, should have stated that three Safedial cards, one Blackberry and one Palm Pilot had been reported as having been stolen during 2005, in addition to the three laptop computers mentioned in the answer. I apologise for this inadvertent omission.

Exchequer Costs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to the Exchequer is of (a) income tax, (b) national insurance contributions, (c) corporation tax and (d) capital gains tax foregone for (i) the Share Incentive Plan, (ii) the Enterprise Investment Scheme, (iii) enterprise management incentives, (iv) venture capital trusts, (v) professional subscriptions, (vi) approved employee share schemes, (vii) approved employee option schemes, (viii) approved company option schemes and (ix) enterprise zones in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The costs requested are available on the HM Revenue and Customs website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/menu.htm. except for the breakdown of the cost of the Enterprise Investment Scheme, where the figure published for 200405 consists of 45million in income tax relief and 135million in capital gains tax relief.

Financial Education

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with non-governmental organisations and social enterprises about the role they can play in financial education.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) lead on promoting financial capability. Their National Strategy for Financial Capability involves a range of interested parties including non-governmental organisations and social enterprises. As part of our engagement with the National Strategy and more widely, Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions about various aspects of financial education with a range of stakeholders.

Financial Services Act

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that the requirements on small businesses under the Financial Services Act 1986 are not duplicated at national and county levels; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Services Act 1986 was repealed in 2001 and there are no current requirements on small businesses imposed by that Act.

Iraq

John Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made in agreement with the Paris Club for the cancelling of Iraqi debt; and what safeguards have been put in place to ensure that creditors of less than 250,000 are protected.

Ivan Lewis: The Paris Club of official creditors reached agreement with Iraq on 21 November 2004 on a fair and sustainable solution to Iraq's debt problems. All creditors agreed that Iraq's debt of over $120 billion was clearly unsustainable. The Paris Club deal cancels 80 per cent. of Iraq's debt in three tranches. The tranches are linked to Iraq's progress in implementing the economic reforms agreed in IMF programmes. All bilateral creditors of Iraq, whether official or commercial, must bear their proportionate share in relation to restoring Iraq's debt sustainability and are expected to negotiate debt treatments with terms comparable to those agreed by the Paris Club.

Lyons Inquiry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the written submissions from his Department to the Lyons Inquiry into local government;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 542W, on the Lyons Inquiry, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Valuation Office Agency took the decision to make a formal submission to the Inquiry.

John Healey: The Lyons Inquiry is independent of the Government. Sir Michael Lyons will decide what to publish when he makes available his final report.

Money Outreach Pilots

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of models for the money advice outreach pilots funded through the Financial Inclusion Fund.

Ivan Lewis: As announced in June 2004, 6 million of the Financial Inclusion Fund has been allocated to the Legal Services Commission, through the Department for Constitutional Affairs, to pilot mechanisms of money advice outreach aimed at those who do not normally present themselves to debt advisers. The LSC have run a competition to fund outreach pilots and are currently in final contract negotiations with successful bidders. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor the progress of the pilots as they come into service from February 2006 and to consider the outcome of the project evaluation.

National Insurance Fraud

Adam Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many incidents of National Insurance fraud for the purpose of making tax credit claims have been recorded in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: As a National Insurance number may only form part of an identity profile it is not possible to provide the information in the format requested. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Paymaster General on 10 January 2006, Official Report, column 558W.

Personal Debt Advice

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what personal debt advice services are funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: HM Treasury does not directly fund personal debt advice services. However, as announced in June 2004, 45 million of the Treasury's Financial Inclusion Fund has been allocated to the Department of Trade and Industry to support an increase in the provision of free face-to-face debt advice in areas of high financial exclusion. A further 6 million of the Financial Inclusion Fund will be used by the Department of Constitutional Affairs, through the Legal Services Commission, to pilot mechanisms of money advice outreach aimed at those who do not normally present themselves to debt advisers.

Planning Gain Supplement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government have made of the total annual revenue to be collected from planning gain supplement.

John Healey: The amount of revenue from a Planning-gain Supplement (PGS) will depend on decisions on its rate and scope. As set out in paragraph 1.9 of the consultation document published alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report, if introduced a PGS will be set at a modest rate to help finance additional infrastructure while preserving incentives to bring land forward for development.

Planning Gain Supplement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether planning gain supplement is planned to be levied on developments that received planning permission prior to its introduction but where the construction commenced after its introduction.

John Healey: As set out in Chapter 3 of the consultation document published alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report, if Planning-gain Supplement (PGS) is introduced the Government will consider how best to take account of the transition period before and after its introduction, to ensure that the levy is fair while protecting yield and minimising risks of avoidance.

Planning Gain Supplement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister holds lead responsibility for the introduction of planning gain supplement.

John Healey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has overall responsibility for the work of the Treasury. I support the Chancellor for policy on the Planning-Gain Supplement.

Planning Gain Supplement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the process for the introduction of planning gain supplement in the devolved parts of the United Kingdom.

John Healey: As set out in paragraph 1.20 of the consultation document published alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report, if introduced a Planning-Gain Supplement (PGS) would apply throughout the UK. The Government will continue to work closely with the devolved Administrations on the interaction of PGS with devolved policy areas.

Property Prices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average purchase price was of properties bought by first-time buyers in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom in each year since 1996.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Average mix-adjusted house prices for first time buyers buying with a mortgage are published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website in table 507 at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/116/Table507Excel47Kb_id_1156116.xls.
	Estimates are not available for first time buyers who purchase without a mortgage.

Self-invested Personal Pension (Property)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared on his decision to withdraw the right to hold residential property in a self-invested personal pension.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 January 2006 Official Report, column 405W.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time tax credit staff were working in (a) debt management and banking, (b) disputed overpayments, (c) bank liaison, (d) child care provider checks, (e) complex cases, (f) employer liaison, (g) international claims, (h) issues relating to persons from abroad, (i) postroom, (j) the specialist trace unit, (k) claims processing, (l) appeals, (m) complaints, (n) valuables and (o) tax credit hotlines on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

UK Contribution (EU)

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the UK's cumulative net contribution to the EU between 2007 and 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 399W.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency owns a licence for an image management and archiving computer database.

Ivan Lewis: The Valuation Office Agency's information technology systems are provided by Capgemini under the Aspire contract with HM Revenue and Customs. All necessary licences for systems, including those for secure data storage, are obtained and held by Capgemini on the Agency's behalf.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what child protection policy the Valuation Office Agency has to regulate the activities of council tax valuation inspectors who may enter people's homes.

John Healey: The legislation governing the powers of Valuation Office Agency staff to inspect people's homes was passed in 1992, and the VOA's approach to operating it has remained largely unchanged since then. Permission to inspect is always sought from the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate), usually in advance in writing. All VOA inspectors carry photographic identity. Under no circumstances would a VOA inspector enter a property without the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate) permission, and the VOA's instructions make clear that under no circumstances should they inspect if only a minor is presentthis is the child protection policy which is operated. On recruitment all Agency staff are required to declare, subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, convictions or charge for any offence which is still pending, if they are subject to probation, on a conditional discharge or bound over after being charged with an offence. Following employment all staff are required to report any charge, apart from minor traffic offences, which is brought against them. In addition the Agency receives, via the Cabinet Office, reports of convictions and related offences from Chief Constables, in accordance with Home Office Circular No. 45/1986, in respect of its staff.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether agents of the Valuation Office Agency who conduct council tax valuation inspections inside someone's property are subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check.

John Healey: The legislation governing the powers of Valuation Office Agency staff to inspect people's homes was passed in 1992, and the VGA's approach to operating it has remained largely unchanged since then. Permission to inspect is always sought from the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate), usually in advance in writing. All VOA inspectors carry photographic identity. Under no circumstances would a VOA inspector enter a property without the permission of the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate), and the VGA's instructions make clear that under no circumstances should they inspect if only a minor is present. This is the child protection policy, which is operated. On recruitment all agency staff are required to declare, subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, convictions or charge for any offence which is still pending, if they are subject to probation, on a conditional discharge or bound over after being charged with an offence. Following employment all staff are required to report any charge, apart from minor traffic offences, which is brought against them. In addition the agency receives, via the Cabinet Office, reports of convictions and related offences from chief constables, in accordance with Home Office Circular No. 45/1986, in respect of its staff. Staff are not therefore subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check. In addition, the majority of the Valuation Office Agency groups have received the independent Charter Mark award for customer service, and as part of their commitment to improve their service they have started to survey taxpayers about how the inspection is undertaken.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the functions of the District Valuer Services within the Valuation Office Agency.

Ivan Lewis: District Valuer Services provides a range of services which are set out in the booklet, District Valuer Services. This is available on their website www.voa.gov.uk.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) rights and (b) powers (i) Valuation Office Agency staff and (ii) its representatives have to conduct internal or external inspections of property for (A) capital gains tax, (B) inheritance tax and (C) business rates purposes.

John Healey: The legislation governing the powers of Valuation Office Agency (VOA) staff to inspect properties for the purposes specified is longstanding it is for (a) capital gains tax, section 111 Taxes Management Act 1970, (b) inheritance tax, section 220 Inheritance Tax Act 1984 and (c) business rates, Schedule 9 paragraph 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The way the Valuation Office exercises these powers, and similar powers in earlier legislation, is well established. Permission to inspect is always sought from the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate) usually in advance in writing. All VOA inspectors carry photographic identity, but if the occupier, owner or taxpayer is in any doubt they are able to contact the local Valuation Office to establish the authenticity. Under no circumstances would a VOA inspector forcibly enter a property without the person's permission. Nor would an inspector enter the property if, despite having made a prior appointment, it was discovered that only a minor was present.
	The Valuation Office Agency recognises the importance of not only carrying out its duties responsibly but also being clearly seen to do so. Thus the majority of its Groups already hold the independently awarded Charter Mark award for customer service, and applications from the remaining Groups are in train. As part of its commitment to improve its service, the agency now specifically surveys taxpayers about how inspections have been undertaken.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has (a) sold and (b) transferred any of its data to non-public sector third-parties in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In the last five years the Valuation Office Agency has regularly sold compilations of the published non-domestic rating lists and, since October 2004, of the supporting summary valuations. All of this material is readily accessible to the public at large in non-compiled form on its website www.voa.gov.uk free of charge.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) staff intranet announcement notice and (b) the data strategy update paper to which the Valuation Office Agency's Management Board Meeting minutes of 27 October 2005 refer.

John Healey: The (a) staff intranet announcement notice, referred to in the Valuation Office Agency's Management Board Meeting minutes of 27 October 2005, will be placed in the Library. The (b) data strategy update paper, also mentioned in the above minutes, includes material prepared as an input to the formulation of Government policy and cannot be made available.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training (a) videos and (b) DVDs the Valuation Office Agency has produced for its staff and contractors in the last three years in relation to (i) council tax valuations, (ii) business rates, (iii) inheritance tax, (iv) capital gains tax, (v) revaluations, (vi) automated valuation model and (vii) computer assisted mass appraisal.

Ivan Lewis: The VOA has produced no training videos or DVDs since 2002. E-learning has replaced the use of videos to supplement face to face training.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of advice to staff on Health and Safety in the Field, produced by the Valuation Office Agency.

Ivan Lewis: A copy of what the Valuation Office Agency makes permanently available to its staff on Health and Safety in the field is being placed in the Library of the House.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines regulate access by (a) the public, (b) private sector organisations and (c) local authorities to the data used to assess the valuations of domestic properties by the Valuation Office Agency.

Ivan Lewis: Disclosure of confidential information to third parties by the Valuation Office Agency is only permitted in the circumstances prescribed by section 18(2) and (3) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.
	Section 28 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and regulations made thereunder governs publication of the Council Tax Valuation List.